My Blue Star Life

Senior Airman Kimberly Bickford is Wednesday Hero

2008-08-06T19:57:00.003-04:00

Senior Airman Kimberly Bickford
332nd Expeditionary Aircraft Maintenance Squadron

Senior Airman Kimberly Bickford performs a pre-load check July 28 on an F-16 Fighting Falcon at Joint Base Balad, Iraq, to ensure the cable that releases the bomb is operational.

These brave men and women sacrifice so much in their lives so that others may enjoy the freedoms we get to enjoy everyday. For that, I am proud to call them Hero.

We Should Not Only Mourn These Men And Women Who Died, We Should Also Thank God That Such People Lived

This post is part of the Wednesday Hero Blogroll. For more information about Wednesday Hero, or if you would like to post it on your site, you can go here.

Online Personal Ads for Everyone

2008-06-13T22:27:00.001-04:00

Prime Dating Sites is the little black book that provides online personal ads for everyone. Seriously, what is a “little black book”? It is a book in which someone keeps a list of his previous dates and ranks them according to some kind of personal review system.

Prime Dating Sites does the same thing, not with dates, but with online dating sites. After thoroughly testing each of the online dating and matching services, they review them for those who are considering entering into a relationship with them. Most clients of dating services make their selection based upon advertising. It makes so much more sense to objectively look at the various options and choose the service that best matches your own interests and intents.

Perfect Match, eHarmony.com, Yahoo Personals, Matchmaker.com, Date.com, Lavalife, Chemistry.com, Match.com, Friend Finder, American Singles — they all are good in their own way, so how do you choose between them? Let Prime Dating Sites help you discover how they differ and how they each fill their own unique niche. You have specific criteria that you desire in an online dating. Prime Dating Sites can help you work through the selection process and find the one that best suits you.

Isn’t it time to trade in that little black book for a ginormous database of interesting people, one of whom may be your perfect match?

Tim Russert Dead

2008-06-13T22:06:00.004-04:00

Tim Russert - Video

As everyone knows by now, Tim Russert died at work earlier this afternoon. His death was sudden and unexpected. He apparently collapsed, probably from sudden heart failure, and was unable to be revived. He was 58-years-old.

Aside from the obvious sadness at any death, it is always something that takes me aback that someone can be here one minute and gone the next. I know that obviously, but we don't think of it very often. When something like this happens, its a reminder that nothing is guaranteed. I take it as a reminder to be thankful for the blessings we have today as opposed to looking for something tomorrow.

Timesheet Software

2008-06-11T18:58:00.004-04:00

Timesheet Software is incredibly sophisticated these days with the capability to handle everything from a staff of just a few employees through complicated huge corporations and everything in between.

However, when you get right down to it there’s a timesheet at the core of it all and without that information being correctly completed, none of the sophistication is of any use at all. Of course, that's why its important that there is a simple and trustworthy method of inputing the information required to accurately complete time sheets. It needs to be as simple as possible with clear and precise instructions and in terms that are easily understood by whoever is filling out the original data. Otherwise, you end up with a mess on your hands and don't get a true reflection of time management issues.

The software helps you identify areas that need attention and areas that are producing efficiently. Its not a matter of estimating anymore, you can have precise data that reflects time management issues throughout your business. You can also use the data gathered to get better estimates on any future projects you have planned.

This is just the tip of the iceberg of what time management software can do to help you build your business. Check out their website for a good overview of everything that the software can do. You might just find that its exactly what you need for a more smoothly run business.

Texas Governor's Mansion Fire

2008-06-11T13:24:00.003-04:00

Texas Governor's Mansion Fire - Video

The Governor of Texas, Rick Perry, was not home when the Governor's mansion burned over the weekend. Fortunately, no one was at home as the 152-year-old mansion was destroyed by fire. Today he spoke for the first time about the fire. He vows that the mansion will be rebuilt to its landmark status once again.

The cause of the fire is being investigated and thought to have been arson.

Have Fun Shopping Online!

2008-06-10T23:23:00.002-04:00

I’m a bargain shopper. I like nice things and I like to pay as little as possible for those nice things. I don’t mean cheap, I mean inexpensive - there’s a difference )

BestOnlineCoupons.com is a website that offers online coupons with coupon codes and fantastic deals from over 1,000 merchants! When I visited the site I was amazed at how user friendly it was and at the huge number of name brand merchants that offer significant savings through the use of coupons online.

The site stays up to date with daily updates providing the very latest coupons and product deals. It is easy to navigate making it very simple to find the latest bargains on the web.

I checked out several product categories and found myself in the Health & Beauty section. I went to The Body Shop coupons and found a range of types of coupons, from a dollar amount off with the purchase of a specific product, to free shipping with a purchase to getting an additional product with the purchase of products and more.

On each page the coupons are listed along with their expiration dates, redemption instructions and a list of related merchants you can check out.

I liked that I could browse through Boden USA clothing catalog online sales! How cool is that! I love Overstock.com and Banana Republic! There are so many stores with great deals on coupons that its hard to pick just a few. Check it out for yourself and find what you are looking for!

Happy online shopping!

Olympic Torch Relay in Beijing

2008-06-10T13:35:00.001-04:00

Olympic Torch Relay in Beijing - Video

All of the controversy about the Olympic Torch relay has fallen by the wayside as the torch is working its way through Beijing. It reached the city of Kunming in Yunan Province on Monday and moved on to Beijing on Wednesday. As of today, it is winding its way through Beijing where it will be for the opening ceremonies of the Olympic Games in August.

Shop Goldyn for Great Style

2008-06-10T01:17:00.003-04:00

An awful lot of people love shopping online. Its fast, easy and fun. You aren't restricted to the shops in your local shopping mall. You can roam freely throughout the world and find the items you need from behind your computer. Its a wonderful thing!

Shop Goldyn takes the concept of shopping online to a whole new level. They offer you the convenience of shopping online at your leisure, and they will will also bring their boutique to you. You read that right. They will bring the boutique to you! How cool is that!? You can have a few friends over, choose five of your favorite brands and they will throw you a party. That means they take care of invitations, food, drinks .... everything ... and its complimentary.

Best of all Shop Goldyn has great style. They carry the best brands and make them available to you at very reasonable prices. Their website is set up so you can easily browse by design or by brand.

A few of the designers they carry include: Andrea Brueckner, Charlotte Ronson, Goldyn ViNtAgE, H Fredriksson, Hartford, Manoush, Mint, Poles, Skin and Threads, Diabless and many more. That's just the beginning of your choices.

I almost forgot, if you live in the Colorado Front Range area you can have a complimentary personal stylist come to your home as part of the fashion party that I mentioned earlier. The stylist will assist with consultations and private fittings. They will help you find the right styles that maximize your assets and camouflage any flaws you might have. They will help you get the wardrobe that is right for you based on your own personal style, lifestyle and preferences.

Sounds like a great deal to me.

Queen Tells Kate Middleton to Get a Job

2008-06-10T01:11:00.003-04:00

Kate Middleton

The Queen of England is telling Prince William that Kate Middleton has to get a job and actually work before they take any steps towards marriage. The subject of Kate Middleton's lack of employment since she graduated college three years ago. She's piddled with this and that, but she's not actually been employed. She seems to be focusing more on a career as Princess in Waiting as opposed to seeking out any other career paths.

At 82-years-old, the Queen maintains a full work schedule and is said to feel strongly that people should work. She also is said to feel strongly that the Royals should set an example of hard work. She doesn't quite know what Kate Middleton does with her time and doesn't want a public relations problem that might be caused by having a Royal WAG on William's arm.

So she's laid down the law to William. Kate gets a job. Period. Oh, and she has to actually work the job for more than a month or two (which has been her pattern).

I guess time will tell if the Queen will be able to influence Kate to do more than wait for Prince William to ask her to marry him.

Kate Middleton - Video

Grandfather Clocks are Great!

2008-06-10T00:52:00.002-04:00

I have never had a grandfather clock anywhere I've lived. I don't know why. I love them. I think they add personality and charm to any home, but we've moved around a lot and for whatever reason I've never gotten one. I guess I was afraid to move it. Plus, I kind of had the idea in my head that they were all pretty much alike. That's just not true, there are a ton of grandfather clock options. The variety in styles, chines and tunes is almost staggering.

Most of the one's I've seen in other people's houses are the traditional ones that we all think of when we think of grandfather clocks. Who says that grandfather clocks are all the same? I have found a website with the most beautiful grandfather clocks of all shapes and sizes. They don't just have grandfather clocks, they have Grandfather Clocks, Wall Clocks, Mantel Clocks and more.

I love the one featured to the right. It is part of the Howard Miller Triple Chime Grandfather Clock line at 1-800-4Clocks.com. If you click on the image to the right you can go to the larger image and see the beautiful Tuscany Cherry wood grain and delicate carvings in the wood. If (WHEN!) I buy one, I think that will be the one I get. I already have a place for it. It'll go right inside my front door in the front foyer so it'll be seen as soon as someone comes into the house.

This is just one grandfather clock in a huge selection of beautiful clocks of all kinds. You can shop by brand or type of clock. Their inventory includes wall clocks, mantle clocks. It also includes Howard Miller, Bulova, Ridgeway, Kieninger, Seth Thomas and more. Whether your style is classic, traditional or ultra modern, you can find it at 1-800-4Clocks.com. Also, check out their blog at www.GrandfatherClocksBlog.com.

Petty Officer Second Class Adam F. Kenney is Wednesday Hero

2008-06-07T23:24:00.001-04:00

Petty Officer 2nd Class Adam F. Kenney

Petty Officer 2nd Class Adam F. Kinney, a Navy Corpsman with Company E, 2nd Battalion, 24th Marine Regiment, Regimental Combat Team 1, gives an Iraqi Child a shot during a routine patrol. Kinney is assigned to Echo Co. for their seven-month deployment and will return to his parent command, 4th Tank Battalion in Fort Knox, Ky., upon his arrival.

These brave men and women sacrifice so much in their lives so that others may enjoy the freedoms we get to enjoy everyday. For that, I am proud to call them Hero.

We Should Not Only Mourn These Men And Women Who Died, We Should Also Thank God That Such People Lived

This post is part of the Wednesday Hero Blogroll. For more information about Wednesday Hero, or if you would like to post it on your site, you can go here.

Weight Loss Diet Help

2008-06-01T23:23:00.002-04:00

I want to be healthy all the time yet I do have a problem and I am gaining weight almost daily. Many people today are having problems maintaining their weight and they are very prone to obesity. Once they are gaining weight, this is the time they seek for help. And now they seek help online which really provides something if they find the right website. There are thousands of websites that pertains to weight loss but I found Weight-loss-diet-help.com a great site.

Weight Loss Diet Help provides us comparison on the leading diet plans and weight loss programs such as Nutrisystems, Medifast, Weight Watches and Ediets. What I want from here are the lists of online and discount coupons for these diet programs which allow you to save some bucks.

You can enhance your knowledge also by reading articles with weight loss tips, easy fitness program ideas, healthy diet and nutrition suggestions, exercise plans. They even have healthy dietary menus for breakfast, lunch, dinner and dessert.

If you are frustrated with trying to lose weight and/or maintain a healthy weight, then check out their website. What do you have to lose, other than a few pounds!

Gene Simmons Doesn't Mind Being Patriotic

2008-05-31T23:18:00.001-04:00

Not all of Hollywood thinks its cool to redefine patriotism as undermining the military and bad mouthing the administration at every turn.

Gene Simmons is unapologetically patriotic and supportive of the military.

Gene Simmons - Video

Los Angeles Criminal Defense Attorneys

2008-05-26T22:33:00.006-04:00

If you find yourself in need of an attorney and are in Southern California, you might do well to look up the law firm of Kestenbaum, Eisner & Gorin, LLP.

Los Angeles Criminal Defense Attorneys | California Felony and Misdemeanor Defense Lawyers are among the best. They are rated in the top 5% of U.S. law firms by Martindale-Hubbell. They have more than 50 years of experience with excellent track records in criminal defense in part due to their previous experience as prosecutors.

They are available 24/7 at (877) 781-1570.

German Couple Try to Sell Their Baby on eBay

2008-05-24T22:08:00.003-04:00

I don't even know what to say about this! I think that if they were seriously trying to sell their baby they would have surely offered to sell him for $5 instead of a buck-fifty ... but what do I know. We all get frustrated when our babies are little ... you know, lack of sleep and dirty diapers get old pretty quickly. But usually if we joke about selling the baby we are really just joking. At least we would think better of it by the time we got to the computer and actually went through the process of posting an offer to sell the child.

I would say they just can't be that bright, but they are bright enough to use the computer. I'm glad the State took the baby away.

Gifts for Any Occasion Online

2008-05-24T21:42:00.006-04:00

Shopping online is great, especially when you can get what you need at better prices than you can find by trudging around to every store in town. I'm attending a wedding this weekend. I needed to find a great gift but didn't have time to go all over town. I clicked over to Best Online Coupons and was able to shop at the best stores online, with coupons, all from one website. You can find terrific gifts for any occasion online. They have set up a website that offers discounts and coupons with some well known and reputable merchants.

They have discount coupons for merchants like Sharper Image, Things Remembered, The Vermont Country Store, just to name a few. When you go to the website you will find there are plenty more to browse though.

BestOnlineCoupons.com also offers smart bargains coupons that make the deals you find there even better!

BestOnlineCoupons.com does the shopping leg work for you. They work at keeping the best coupons for quality products up to date so you can find them all in one place. All you have to do is click through to her website to find great online coupon shopping deals. They have them there waiting for you!

Dead Woman Comes Back to Life

2008-05-22T23:39:00.000-04:00

Dead Woman Comes Back to Life - Video

Val Thomas had several heart attacks and had no life signs for 17 1/2 hours, rigor mortis had set in and the family was discussing organ donation. The organ donation issue is why she's alive now. She was kept on a respirator even though she had not had any brain wave activity for hours. She was put on other machines as well to keep her organs healthy while the organ donation process continued.

It wasn't until the nurses started removing her from the oxygen that she came back to life. She has no heart blockage and appears she's going to be just fine.

Woah! Bet that freaked some people out!

Guide to Web Hosting Sites

2008-05-20T14:06:00.001-04:00

If you are in the market for web hosting you might want to check out Web Hosting Choice ( webhostingchoice.com ). I know that I get confused about what different web hosts offer. I look at this one and that one trying to figure out which one is the better deal. Web Hosting Choice does the comparison shopping for you. That just makes it so much easier!

They compare all the elements you need to know about in order to make a good decision about which hosting service is right for your needs. For instance, get comparisons of bandwidth offers, hosting prices versus services offered and much more. They even give you a review of scams to be on the look out for.

If you are looking for a web hosting service you can make it easy on yourself and use Web Hosting Choice to help you decide which service is right for your needs.

Lost Season 4 Finale - There's No Place Like Home

2008-05-19T23:41:00.001-04:00

I have come to accept that the writers, producers, directors and actors of Lost are sadists. The teasers, cliffhangers, twists and turns are endless and excruciating. At the same time, you don't really want it all to end, which probably means that those of us who watch it are masochists. Now they are making us wait another week for the 'evening of Lost' that will be the season 4 finale.

Last week's episode left us with some understanding of how the various people who end up as the Oceanic 6 came to be the ones to get off the island. It didn't seem like some of them to have gone ahead of others, so how did that happen? Jack, for instance, it wouldn't be like him to get on a rescue boat before the others. Last week it started making sense. Different ones in different places all being lead to the same end.

I've read some spoilers, but I've heard false spoilers have been leaked on purpose to keep the surprises coming. I guess we'll find out. I'll not include the spoilers here - you can find them online if you want to know.

Lost Season 4 Finale - Video

Excellent Cheap Web Hosting!

2008-05-18T04:11:00.003-04:00

Choosing web hosting can be a little mind boggling. There are so many choices and if you aren't all that computer savvy it can be very confusing. You have choices on how much bandwidth, storage space and terms like cgi and ftp. You really have to know a lot to be able to compare hosting services and see that you are getting the best service for your needs. Expensive services are not necessarily better services. The point is to get what you need at the best price you can.

You can get cheap web hosting that serves your needs without having to give yourself a major headache searching through websites and trying to compare all the different offerings. That's why it is so helpful to have a site like Web Hosting Rating where you can read articles about the various aspects of different types of services. In their articles on finding cheap web hosting they recommend reading testimonials of existing customers, understanding the effect of bad customers who might be sharing the same server (I've had personal experience with that!) and getting a good understanding of whether the hosting company will be able to serve your needs over the long term.

With web hosting, you can't judge the quality of a service by the price. Some of the best services out there are cheap. Just be sure you find a cheap hosting service that is also the best for your needs.

Petty Officer 2nd Class Chris Davila is Wednesday Hero

2008-05-14T04:45:00.001-04:00

This Weeks Hero Was Suggested By Cindy

Petty Officer 2nd Class Chris Davila From Sierra Vista, Arizona

On the sixth anniversary of the terrorist attack on the United States, Petty Officer 2nd Class Chris Davila raised an American flag over Camp Korean Village, Iraq, he brought with him from Arizona.

Tuesday, May 6, 2008, Sierra Vista firefighter and emergency medical technician Chris Davila presented that flag to Fire Chief Randy Redmond as fellow firefighters looked on. Monday, May 5, 2008, was Davila's first day back on the job with the department after being gone for nearly nine months, with seven of those months deployed as a Navy Reserve corpsman serving with a Marine unit near the Jordanian and Syrian border area in Iraq.

And, as luck would have it, on his first shift saw him responding to a blaze in Sierra Vista. "Right back to work," he said with a laugh.

You can read the rest of PO 2nd Class Davila's story here.

These brave men and women sacrifice so much in their lives so that others may enjoy the freedoms we get to enjoy everyday. For that, I am proud to call them Hero.

We Should Not Only Mourn These Men And Women Who Died, We Should Also Thank God That Such People Lived

This post is part of the Wednesday Hero Blogroll. For more information about Wednesday Hero, or if you would like to post it on your site, you can go here.

IBackup Online Now Supports Mac and iPhone

2008-05-13T16:48:00.003-04:00

IBackup Online is growing and improving the services they have to offer. They have recently included a version of their services that is built for Mac! They have also included enhancements making it easier for you to view and share your data view iPhone and other hand held devices! Now you can not only be sure that your data is securely backed up, but you can access it easily from multiple types of devices.

I've lost my information twice and really value the ability to back up online. Both times it was work related and both times the entire contents of my financial program was lost. It was not a small matter. In both incidents it had to do with lightening storms and it took us months to reenter data that was lost.

After the first time I started looking into an Online Backup system but never followed through. I followed through immediately the second time. I learned my lesson about the importance of data backup. Online Storage is great because it is off site and no affected by whatever happens to your home or work computer.

IBackup Online offers very user friendly interface with storage features where users online data appear as a mapped drive or folder on their desktop. Working with data online couldn’t be easier, with drag-n-drop features and a familiar explorer interface. This feature is not offered by any other online storage service with the kind of performance and security that IBackup offers.

Performance difference is very significant in many cases where IBackup’s desktop applications outperform the rest by a factor of at least 30-50%. This could mean significant productivity gain.

The IBackup Online website very easy to navigate and gives thorough and easy to understand explanations of the services offered. They offer packages from 5 to 300 gigs of storage. That would cover the needs of individuals or businesses needing Online Storage. They have plenty of methods to get in touch with support technicians 24/7 (that’s always an important feature of any program for me!).

It looks like a top-notch online backup and storage solution.

My Great Kids!

2008-05-11T16:45:00.001-04:00

I have the best kids in the world. Within about 30 minutes of getting up ~~this~~ yesterday morning a guy came to the door with a nice vase full of yellow tulips. I love tulips. I knew they weren't from my husband, because I know my husband! Low and behold, they were from my dear Soldier Son and his new bride.

Then about 30 minutes later I got another delivery. This time it was a gorgeous azalea bush! I love azaleas! I have them all over my yard. The azalea was from my sweet darling daughter.

I hardly ever see my kids any more, but they are really the best. I love them dearly and they certainly made my Mother's Day wonderful!

I Love Ceiling Fans

2008-05-11T00:40:00.003-04:00

I have Ceiling fans in every room of my house, literally. I even have Outdoor Ceiling Fans. The ceiling fan on our screened in back porch is especially nice. When its hot outside we can turn on that fan and sit on the porch in comfort in spite of the heat. It gives off a nice gentle breeze that makes the porch just perfect.

The people who lived here before us put them all in, but I'm glad they did. I really like them. I can turn off the air conditioner and run the fans and they keep a nice cool breeze going ... as long as its not too hot outside. I especially like sleeping with the ceiling fan running in my bedroom. I don't know why, but its soothing.

A few of the fans need replacing. Actually, they are still working fine, I just want to update them. They've been up forever. I was looking around online and found some great deals. I found a Minka Ceiling Fan for a fantastic price! I have priced them in local stores and the ones at CeilingFanWarehouse.com have prices that just 'blow you away'.

Check out their inventory and their prices. I think you'll be very pleasantly surprised.

David Archuleta Dad Kicked off American Idol

2008-05-11T00:26:00.002-04:00

David Archuleta

Usually we read about contestants getting kicked off American Idol, but this time its a parent. Jeff Archuleta, the father of David Archuleta, has been denied his backstage pass on American Idol. The reason for him being kicked out of the set is basically that he's a royal pain in the ass.

Predictably, Jeff Archuleta denies he did anything he's rumored to have done.

"I'm definitely involved with my son, and I encourage him, but I think that's a lot different from forcing and threatening and all that stuff. There was absolutely no truth in any of the stories about me yelling at David, making him cry or withholding water from him. That was crazy!" Jeff Archuleta was quoted later, denying his American Idol backstage privileges have been take away. Fox has not commented on the incident yet. Old stories about David Archuleta and his dad have begun popping up, most notably when Jeff Archuleta was called "the monster dad from hell" by Naomi Judd, who was a judge on "Star Search", where the then 12-year-old David took part.

Parents really need to get their own lives so their kids can live their own lives. Its really as simple as that.

David Archuleta - Video

Its Time to Get Personal!

2008-05-10T21:56:00.006-04:00

I've gotten to where I don't buy cards for special occasions nearly as much as I used to. For one thing, it takes me forever to pick one out. They never say what I want them to say or the picture doesn't fit the situation. I just never can find the right combination. For another thing, they are expensive. They are also generic out of necessity. I mean, they have to fit a lot of people, right? Then you take the card you have so carefully chosen and whoever gets it skims over it really quickly and tosses it aside. The whole process is much ado about nothing.

Well, its difficult to give a gift without a card so I started making my own. I still do that for very special occasions or people. I have found some very nice cards online. They are the best of everything for me. They are personal without being overly time consuming or expensive. You can buy them in bulk so that you have them ready when you need them. Most cards you buy at your local store are going to cost you about $4. At Card Direct you can get cards for $1.50 and $2. As you can tell from the card pictured in this post, they are very nice looking, good quality cards.

You can get cards made to order at Cards Direct, combining their quality cards and covers with your own photos to create something that's as special as the gift you are giving. How nice to create your own unique birthday cards! Or what about a creative Christmas card? The personal cards I have received mean so much more to me than the generic ho-ho-ho cards I get at Christmas or the birthday cake and candles cards I get on my birthday.

Cards Direct has a large line of cards for just about any occasion you can think of. They also offer the same services for businesses. You can have customized cards printed up to announce new events at your business, or have birthday cards made up for valued customers. As you know, branding your business is important for marketing. With this service you can use your logo and brand on everything you send out.

The services there are quick and easy to use. Its personal and best of all the prices are great and you can do it all from right behind your computer.

Going out to Eat with Beloved Curmudgeon

2008-05-10T20:14:00.000-04:00

As I write this, my Beloved Curmudgeon is watching one of Clint Eastwood's spaghetti westerns. I don't know which one. Does it matter? They all have the same characters, are filmed in the same place and have the same music.

I am often blogging with any one of those movies playing in the background. Our lives are exciting that way.

We had some real excitement today. I'll tell you about it.

My Beloved Curmudgeon asked me on a date. He said, 'I haven't had a good steak in a long time, wanna go get one for lunch?'. My heart fluttered at the romance of it and I said that yes, I would like to do that! This conversation transpired first thing this morning, so I had a while to get my mouth set for a good juicy red steak. By lunch time I was definitely hungry and very much wanting a steak.

We drove past one steak house to go to another on the other side of town. That was okay, I like them both. Unfortunately, when we got to the other steakhouse, it was closed. It's only open for dinner. My Beloved Curmudgeon said we shouldn't drive all the way back across town, why don't we just go to IHOP that is right next door to the closed steak house.

I really wanted a steak, but being a good co-dependent type person I said that would be okay. I said, 'IHOP is okay' in my most pathetic tone that should have told him I really wanted to go get a steak. He didn't read my mind and pulled into the IHOP parking lot. A slight chip started creeping up on my shoulder, but I pushed it back down telling myself that it was silly. We'll go get a steak next time.

Being hungry and having had myself all ready for a steak, nothing looked good on the menu at IHOP. I even commented that they had steaks and eggs, but it just wouldn't be the same at IHOP. He still didn't catch on to my mood. He ordered a large breakfast and I ordered pecan pancakes (my mother will disapprove of that - but I did, okay!). When one is in the midst of unsuccessfully putting a guilt trip on one's spouse (unintentionally, of course) one shouldn't order anything of real substance to eat.

A few minutes later the waitress comes out with a huge steaming plate of eggs, bacon and all the trimmings for my Beloved Curmudgeon and little bitty plate with two half-dollar size plain dry pancakes for me. I really hate sending food back, but I looked at that plate and the bite size pancakes just weren't cutting it. I was so hungry.

I sent the pancakes back asking for the pecan pancakes I had actually ordered. The waitress returned in record time and proudly placed in front of me the very same plate with the very same half-dollar size pancakes on it. But now, they had a scattering of pecan pieces tossed on top of them. She didn't hang around long enough for me to send them back this time.

I was dumbfounded and looked at the dry, bite-size pancakes with pecan chips thrown on top and the chip I had been forcing down from my shoulder snuck right back up on it again. I got a little butter packet and made a half-hearted attempt to spread some butter on the now cold little bitty pancakes. The butter just rolled the few pecan chips around on the pancakes. They were getting less appetizing by the second.

My Beloved Curmudgeon noticed I was not a happy camper and asked if I wanted him to handle this. I demurred and he told me to quit being a victim, that he'd take care of it for me if I didn't want to. I demurred again, but was glad to let him be the bad guy this time.

He got the waitress over and asked her about the pancakes. 'We are out of pancake batter,' she explained. She went further and said the cooks should have told her. It wasn't her fault, she said - weakly. My Beloved Curmudgeon said, 'This is the International House of PANCAKES, right? And you don't have PANCAKE batter?'. She said they had pancake batter for anything BUT pecan pancakes.

I asked her for a menu again and I'd just order something else. By this time my Beloved Curmudgeon was finishing his meal and that chip was virtually dancing around on my shoulder as I flipped the pages of the menu without really reading it.

I tossed the menu in the middle of the table and said I'd fix something when we got home. He suggested we stop at a deli we like on the way home. I liked that idea and said we'd do that. We left IHOP and headed to the deli.

I ordered a chicken salad sandwich with walnuts and he decided to get an egg salad sandwich. I know, I know, he'd already eaten. We ran into friends and talked. All of this took a while. We finally got home and I sat the sandwiches down in the kitchen and went to change clothes and wash my hands.

I was REALLY REALLY hungry by the time I came back into the family room with my sandwich box in hand. My Beloved Curmudgeon was eating his sandwich and making a face. I asked him if he didn't like his sandwich.

'It's got nuts in it', he said with a disgusted look on his face. He then went on to complain about che-che delis putting all the extra stuff on when all you want is a plain egg salad sandwich on white bread. I was sympathetic and told him I was sorry he didn't like his sandwich. We actually discussed this for a few minutes with me sitting and holding my little sandwich box still unopened.

I opened my sandwich box looking forward to my chicken salad with walnuts, lettuce and tomato on wheat bread. As soon as I opened the box I realized I had a plain egg salad on white bread.

'Stop!! You're eating my sandwich!!!', I exclaimed.

He stopped in mid-chew and mid-puzzlement over the odd taste of his egg salad and held out the mostly eaten remains of MY chicken salad sandwich. 'Here.' He held it out to me in such a pitiful manner I burst out laughing.

'No wonder it tasted so strange', he said.

I flipped the chip off my shoulder and gladly ate the last few bites of my sandwich while he ate his egg salad sandwich. It hit the spot.

For the rest of the day he mentioned how full he was and I'm still hungry.

Beautiful Grandfather Clocks

2008-05-10T11:39:00.004-04:00

I had no idea that there are so many types and styles of grandfather clocks. I was reading about the huge selection of clocks you can find online. Its great that we can do so much of our shopping online, even for items as specialized as a grandfather clock.

Reading about that inspired me to go and look at 1-800-4Clocks and check out their Grandfather Clocks. Home decor is part of your personal fashion. I usually lean towards more contemporary or deco designs so I didn't expect to find much I'd like. I had a certain image in my mind of what a grandfather clock looks like. You know, the ones we've seen in everybody's house since we were kids. Interestingly, they aren't all like that. In fact, there are tons of designs that would fit anyone's personal style and preference!

I like the Kieninger Edwards Grandfather Clock pictured here. It is part of their Kieninger collection. Its sleek, modern, versatile in style and just fabulous! I can picture it in my living room as a focal point when someone walks into the room.

That's just one of many beautiful grandfather clocks you can view at 1-800-4Clocks.

This is just one grandfather clock in a huge selection of beautiful clocks of all kinds. You can shop by brand or type of clock. Their inventory includes wall clocks, mantle clocks. It also includes Howard Miller clocks, Bulova Clocks, Ridgeway Clocks, Kieninger Clocks, Seth Thomas Clocks.

There is something for everyone.

Hancock Movie Trailer (video)

2008-05-10T09:31:00.000-04:00

The new Hancock movie trailer premiered exclusively on American Idol on Wednesday night. See it below.

Hancock Movie Trailer (Video)

Columbia Pictures premiered an exclusive new Hancock movie trailer on last week's American Idol. Hancock is obviously not your ordinary superhero. He's fallen on hard times and the public isn't that fond of him anymore. Let's just say, Hancock is not your ordinary superhero!

The Peter Berg film stars Will Smith as the superhero. He has a public relations person (Jason Bateman) helping him repair his image. Hancock's PR person's wife (Charlize Theron) complicates things for Hancock and his image repair.

Well, just watch the trailer, then go see the movie and let me know what you think.

Outsource your Answering Service

2008-05-09T20:40:00.002-04:00

Right now you can get a free 7-day trial to see if an online Answering Service is right for you or your business. Map Communications has been an industry leader in providing quality professional Answering Services since 1991. Their specialty is being able to adjust their services to a broad range of industry needs. In other words, whether you are a small business, professional group, government offices or many other types of businesses, Map Communications can handle your specific needs. They customize their dynamic and proprietary answering services to meet a variety of different business needs. You can get basic answering service to a complex call center. It just depends on what your needs are. Some of the custom features offered include:

Fastest Pick-Up Times in the Industry
Professional & Courteous Receptionists
Specialized Call Screening
Emergency Response Specialists
Your Own Nationwide 800 number
Voicemail Services
Proprietary Software & In-house IT Dept
Custom Account & Software Design
Dynamic Online Account Access
Interface with your Company Website
Advanced On-Call Roster Services
Online Messaging via the Web or Email

That’s just a few of their services. It is often beneficial to out-source this type of service as opposed to having to take on the responsibility of additional employees and all of the expenses that come with that. While Map Communication is offering a free trial period, it seems like a good time to try it out and see if it works for you.

Battle At Kruger

2008-05-09T02:59:00.002-04:00

The Battle At Kruger is an internet sensation. See the video below.

Battle At Kruger

If you aren't one of the 30 million people who have viewed the Battle At Kruger video on YouTube then you can see it here. Its been on YouTube for over a year and now the two men who filmed the battle are the subject of a new documentary that will be premiering Sunday, May 11th on the National Geographic Channel.

The video was shot at Transport Dam in South Africa's Kruger National Park. It was filmed in 2004 by videographer David "Buzz" Budzinski and photographer Jason Schlosberg who watched as a pack of lions gathered on one side of the watering hole and a herd of buffalo were grazing on the other side. The video shows the outcome of the battle over a baby buffalo is captured and fought over by lions and crocodiles. The buffalo eventually fight off the predators and rescue the baby buffalo.

Its a rare opportunity for us to experience nature vicariously through the lens of YouTube!

Enjoy!

Help Fight Lupus

2008-05-06T13:25:00.002-04:00

Lupus is one of those illnesses that not too many people know much about. I have a cousin who has Lupus and because of that I learned something about the disease.

May is Lupus awareness month, so I thought I'd read a little about what is going on as far as Lupus research, etc. I found that there is an online community that is working to raise money online for lupus research and lupus patients.

The primary website is Firstgiving. The Firstgiving organization is a for-profit company that helps people set up websites to raise money for any United States registered nonprofit organization. All you have to do is sign up through the Firstgiving website and you are good to go. Registration is quick and easy to do.

I looked through some of the sites that have been set up through Firstgiving for Lupus awareness. I was very impressed with how well so many of them are doing! Take a look at http://www.firstgiving.com/reginadoran, for instance. She is just a couple of hundred dollars from her goal. She's raised an impressive amount of money. On her website she describes what she is trying to do and what the money she is raising will be used for. The people who donate can leave a message that appears on her site. Its very tastefully and well done.

The Brunette Awareness Test

2008-05-06T12:50:00.002-04:00

Bouncy Blonde - Watch more free videos
Brunette Awareness Test (Video)

This is the Brunette Awareness Test. How many girls are in this video? If you are Brunette Aware you will be able to give the right answer.

Enjoy .....

Go Ahead - Judge a Podcast by its Cover

2008-05-06T12:19:00.004-04:00

Yodio is a great new online service that I think you are going to love. Its a site that makes it possible for you to create cover art to your podcasts. If you are a podcaster or want to be a podcaster, you really need to check out this new service to spice up your podcasts.

You can upload the MP3 file from Yodio.com, add the cover photo and post the embedded player to your blog or website. You can use digital photos to add a personal touch to your podcast. They also have a YouTube type player that your can use to display the art you are using for your podcast.

I'm fixin' to make a podcast using their program.Check it out at www.yodio.com.

Press Release:

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Contact: Clay Loges 206/423-6553 or Kimberly Hankins kimberlyhankins@yodio.com

Go Ahead - Judge a Podcast by its Cover Yodio Gives Online Users the Ability to Visually Personalize Podcasts

SEATTLE, May 5, 2008 – Yodio introduces podcasters the unique ability to visually wrap podcasts. Much like an album cover, users can create cover photos, producing a complete and total podcasting experience, resulting in podcasts with the ultimate finishing touch. Using any image, photo or piece of art, users can upload an MP3 recording and attach a full size (up to a 10 MB) digital photo.

A survey by Storm/Universal McCann reports that 32 percent of respondents increased their podcast use in the past six months.” Invisible podcasts are ignored podcasts. Yodio allows online users to elevate podcasts to a visually rich, personalized online medium. This new visual element heightens the purpose of any blog or online community-to clearly convey information to fellow online users.

This free service exclusively from Yodio allows users to embed a Yodio player into any blog – but unlike other current methods, Yodio offers a complete and visual package to fully encase the audio podcast. For podcasters who want to go beyond the cover photo, Yodio can be used to create illustrated podcasts using multiple JPEG photos or graphics to attach a graphic to individual audio sections.

“Every picture needs a story; a photo plus audio creates a compelling story,” comments former Corbis CEO and current ZoomAlbum CEO Doug Rowan. “Photographs by themselves don’t really tell the stories. You need people to tell the stories. Yodio is delivering on this need.”

To embed a Yodio player or learn more about Yodio, visit www.yodio.com. ###

Yodio is a broadcast network where consumers and businesses can power their high-impact messaging to targeted audiences. The foundation of Yodio is an online service for recording, producing, and sharing synchronized audio/p

Yunjin Kim on Craig Ferguson (Video)

2008-05-06T09:45:00.000-04:00

Yunjin Kim (Video)

I'm a Lost addict or whatever they are called. Its the Lost version of Trekkies - is there a Trekkie kind of name for Lost people?

In honor of finally getting a new episode of Lost last week, here is a video of Yunjin Kim who plays Sun-Hwa Kwon on the show. She's one of my favorite characters. Her character is so complicated, but then they all are on that show. She's being interviewed on the Late Late Show with Craig Ferguson. Its a fun interview and I thought you might enjoy it.

Shop Till You Drop Online

2008-05-05T21:14:00.002-04:00

I love shopping online. I especially love online shopping promotions and discount promo code bargains! Best Online Coupons has all that and more! They have really done their homework and set up a website that offers great discounts and coupons with some well known and reputable merchants.

They have discount coupons for merchants like Overstock.com, Old Navy, Apple iTunes, just to name a few. When you go to the website you will find there are plenty more to browse though.

BestOnlineCoupons.com also offers smart bargains coupons that make the deals you find there even better!

BestOnlineCoupons.com does the shopping leg work for you. They work at keeping the best coupons for quality products up to date so you can find them all in one place. All you have to do is click through to her website to find great online coupon shopping deals. They have them there waiting for you!

Martin Strel Swims the Amazon River

2008-05-05T20:49:00.006-04:00

Martin Strel is an experienced expedition swimmer who made history swimming the Amazon River. He was released from the hospital today following complications from health problems brought on by his swim. Read more about him and see a video and photo below.

Martin Strel

Martin Strel, the 52-year-old Slovenian man who swam the 3,274-mile length of the Amazon River, is released from the hospital Monday and recovering from health problems brought on by the 66-day swim. Martin Strel is hospitalized with high blood pressure and dizziness on Sunday immediately after completing the swim.

On April 7, 2007 marathon swimmer Martin Strel made a history with setting a world record by swimming 5268 Kms (3274 Miles) down the Amazon river. Book and Film are going to be produced.

Before leaving for the United States, Martin Strel told a press conference that he was feeling well and was ready to swim the length of the Mississippi river. As he remained confident, Strel also said that he believes that nature is on his side.

Amazon swimmer Martin Strel was mistakenly reported below as saying that he was swimming the length of the Amazon river from Peru’s Atlantic coast. Peru has no Atlantic coast but the river empties into the Atlantic after flowing through Brazil.

On Sunday, April 8, 2007, a 52-year-old self-described fat man in a Speedo by the name of Martin Strel swam 3,274 miles of the Amazon River. The Fish Man, as he was called by locals, almost died in the process several times.

After 3,272 miles (5268 km) and 66 days of exhaustion, sunburn, delirium and piranhas, Martin Strel successfully completed a swim down the Amazon River. Strel?s Amazon swim will be the fourth time Strel has broken the Guinness record.

Martin Strel - Video

Costumes are Fun

2008-05-03T22:54:00.002-04:00

My kids used to love Halloween. I suspect they still do! Picking out a Halloween Costume was always a big deal and they always had very definite ideas of what they wanted to wear on any given year. My daughter was a witch so many times that I lost track!

I know its not Halloween, but there's nothing wrong with playing dress up year round. It can be a ton of fun. There's a great costume website where you can find costumes for any occassion. Whether you are looking for something for the kids so they can play dress-up or something for yourself to play dress up or go to a costume party, they pretty much have it all.

Check out their 4th of July costumes! You could have a blast at your 4th of July party dressed in any of those. And, of course, there's alway adult Halloween costumes. Like I said, there's something for every occasion. Check it out. It'll be fun!

Darvaz Uzbekistan is the Door to Hell

2008-05-03T20:05:00.002-04:00

The Door to Hell is in Darvaz, Uzbekistan. Learn more about it and see photos and a video of it below.

The Door to Hell

Actually, I did a google map search the only Darvaz I see is in Tajikistan. Still, its close by, more or less, to Uzbekistan. I happened on a Russia-English website full of photos and the story of The Door to Hell. Who would've thought it existed? But it does. The locals named it that and when you see the photos you will understand why.

The story of this particularly odd phenomenon in either Tajikistan or Uzbekistan is that this huge burning crater opened up and has been burning for 35 years. Its just outside of the small town of Darvaz. Thirty-five years ago, geologists were drilling there for gas ... and apparently they found it. The drilling opened up an enormous underground cavern. It was so big that the entire drilling site and all of the equipment they were using could fit down into the cavern.

The problem was that the cavern was filled with gas so the geologists didn't dare go down into it. Instead, one or more of them had the brilliant idea to ignite the gas to burn it off so they could continue their project. They didn't want the gas escaping the big hole, which makes sense. And so they ignited it and its still burning thirty-five years later.

There's no way of knowing how much gas has been burnt in all these years. There's also no way of knowing how much gas is still down there because no one can figure out how to put out the fire. Apparently, it will just burn indefinitely.

I wouldn't want that gas bill. Can you just imagine the carbon footprint THAT is creating!!!

The Door to Hell - Photos

The Door to Hell - Video

Private Number Plates

2008-05-01T01:12:00.002-04:00

You can get your own Private Number Plates for your vehicle. That is so cool! Its very simple to look them up online by going to the website linked above and do a search for whatever variety and/or combination of letters and numbers you want. There is a huge section of personalized number plates to choose from.

Once you make your selection, you really don't have to worry about a thing. They do all the transfer work for you.

In addition to all of that, they will buy quality private number plates so if you have a number to sell you can do that there as well. Just visit the website and click on the 'selling a number' link on the side bar and it will walk you through the process from there.

So what are you waiting for? Go on over and check it out.

Brussels Tells Scotland to Pipe Down!

2008-04-30T01:30:00.001-04:00

Bagpipes are a sound that many of us associate with our ancestry. Its part of the Scottish heritage, but Brussels is telling Scotland to quieten down the pipes!

Bagpipes: Scotland the Brave (Video)

Oh, for the love of Socialism!!!! The European Union has decided to put a ban on noise. As with most Socialist organizations, they know what's best for everybody and make it their business to dictate behavior and common sense. I think they'd control people's thoughts if they could.

I read at Boston Maggie they have put a ban on noise and have sent word that the bagpipes of Scotland are going to have to tone it down.

THEIR high-pitched skirl has put fear into the hearts of Scotlandâ€™s enemies and sent sensitive tourists reaching for the cotton wool.

Now, however, the bagpipes are to be quietened by an edict from Brussels.

From this month, pipers must adhere to strict volume limits or risk breaking European Union health and safety laws. Bands have been ordered to tone down or wear earplugs to limit noise exposure to 85 decibels.

Typically, a pipe band played at full volume peaks at 122 decibels outdoors, noisier than the sound of either a nightclub or a chainsaw, which rises to 116 decibels. [source]

When the English conquered Scotland they tried to eradicate any elements of Scottish culture. They outlawed kilts, bagpipes and Gaelic. The English hunted the Scots down throughout the highlands to enforce the laws in a real effort to completely wipe out their national identity so they'd quit giving the English so many dadgume problems!

The Scots managed to hang onto they're culture even under those dire circumstances. They even overcame the discrimination to the point that they became the most elite military force for England .... wearing kilts!

As the bagpipe players say, you can't play bagpipes quietly. I hope they win their argument and keep the bagpipes playing. Do we really want to live in such a vanilla world that we can't tolerate the loudness of color, sound and culture? I don't.

Play on .....

Epionce Skin Care

2008-04-24T23:19:00.009-04:00

I love skin care products. I've been addicted to them since I was a child. I learned early that good quality products make all the difference. You can buy the cheap stuff and end up spending twice as much because it doesn't last as long or you have to buy more products to do the same thing. In other words, you usually get what you pay for. I have been looking at Epionce for that reason. Epionce is a skin care product introduced by Dr. Diane McConnehey.

I found the product through FocusOnSkinCare [Dot] Com and learned that Dr. McConnehey started practicing dermaesthetic in 1998. She is board certified in family practice. Her initial interest in treatment of skin disorders gradually turned into an interest in cosmetics and treatment of the health and appearance of the skin. She realized that many (not all) skin disorders could be avoided by taking care of the skin before the disorder developed. She believes that using good quality and appropriate skin care products can help us maintain a youthful appearance as well as repair damage done. Its never too late to take care of your skin!

Epionce offers all the products you need for complete skin care including cleansing, moisturizing, age-defying (even for the eyelashes!) and protection from the sun among others. The products are created so that there are variations suitable for normal, dry and oily skin types. There are treatments for skin problems such as rough skin textures, clearing up clogged pores, reducing redness and scaly skin.

The products look great and the website provides a lot of information on all the products as well as on skin care in general. Check it out and see if its right for you!

Leonids Meteor Shower

2008-04-22T15:14:00.000-04:00

Leonids Meteor Shower (Photo)

There's supposed to be a Leonids Meteor Shower tonight that should be visible to our side of the earth. Some reports call them Leonids and others call them Lyrids. I don't know which are supposed to be seen tonight or if they are the same things and someone just doesn't know how to spell it.

Leonids Meteor Shower comes around once a year. They should be visible in the early morning dark hours if the a full moon doesn't wash out the view. The meteor is the remnants of an ancient comet that is visible as the earth flies through its debris.

Below is a video of a previous Leonid meteor shower.

Leonids Meteor Shower (Video)

Nicholas White Trapped in an Elevator

2008-04-22T15:11:00.000-04:00

Nicholas White Trapped in an Elevator (Video)

This video has been viewed something like 300,000 times since it was uploaded a few days ago. It seems that Nicholas White was working late one Friday night. About 11 p.m. that night he went out for some cigarettes and got trapped in the elevator on his way back to his office. He says that once he realized he was stuck, he knew he was in for a long wait since it was the weekend.

This all happened in 1999 and I guess Mr. White didn't have a cell phone with him.

The The video was uploaded as an accompaniment to is a piece by Nick Pumgarten, Up and then Down in the April 21st issue of The New Yorker.

Nicholas White is pretty good humored about the popularity of the video. I don't know why he wouldn't be. He won his lawsuit against the McGraw-Hill Building and the elevator company.

Prince William Mucks Around With Military Aircraft

2008-04-20T19:29:00.001-04:00

Prince William, second in line for the British throne, seems to think what belongs to Britain belongs to him and apparently doesn't understand the meaning of military discipline.

Prince Charles and Prince William

I'm not a critic of the British royal family. In fact, I think they are kind of interesting. Its cool that there is still a European royal family that at least pretend to be enthroned. Its a throw-back to days long gone and all that. Still, sometimes their complete lack of having any limits in their lives is pretty astounding.

As I understand it, since Prince William will undoubtedly be King one day, he is supposed to get training in every branch of the military service. His most recent training has been with the Air Force. He's been learning to fly planes and helicopters and the like. He was awarded his wings recently.

In the past month there have been two incidents (that people know about) of Prince William using Chinook helicopters for his own pleasure. Prince William flew a Chinook to London to pick up his brother, Prince Harry. Then he flew the two of them to the Isle of Wight for a weekend of partying with their cousin, Peter Phillips who is Princess Anne's son. Another time he took a Chinook he was training in to his girlfriend, Kate Middleton's house. He practiced landing and taking off from a field behind her house.

The problem is that he seems to think that the military vehicles that are acquired at the expense of the tax paying citizens of the United Kingdom are his very own personal play things. Or perhaps its that his superior officers are either afraid to tell the future King that he can't do these things or are so enamored with his royalty that they approve such misuse of military vehicles. Either way, there's something terribly wrong when Prince William is allowed to use helicopters and airplanes for his personal use.

Meanwhile, British troops in Afghanistan are dealing with a shortage of Chinooks and other equipment. But why should a little thing like that bother a future King. He'll never have to deal with shortages when he's deployed. Oh wait. He won't be deployed so there really isn't a need to worry about it at all!!!!

I do think it would do him a world of good to have to actually do something with all the training he is getting. He should have to be deployed. It would help him grow up and certainly would help him get a better understanding of what the troops, who will one day be under his command, have to deal with. A callus or two on those perfectly manicured hands would make him feel better about himself as a man.

After all, that's how his ancestors became Kings in the first place.

Mereana Mordengard Glasgow

2008-04-19T06:28:00.000-04:00

Mereana Mordengard Glasgow (also known as Mereana Mordegard Glesgorv) is a pretty creepy internet legend. Its also hard to find any information on it. So, for your weekend reading pleasure, I present the creepy story (probably urban legend) of Mereana Mordegard Glesgorv. [pretend you are hearing Dark Shadows theme song here].

Apparently, at some point in time someone uploaded a video onto YouTube that was/is bewitched. The video shows a man's face through a red filter for two full minutes. In the last seconds of the video there is a close-up of the face and the man is smiling. The video was titled, Mereana Mordengard Glasgow and is also called Mereana Mordegard Glesgorv.

YouTube removed the video from the internet after 153 people who had viewed the video gouged their eyes out and mailed into the YouTube offices in San Bruno. These people were said to have committed suicide in various ways. Its not known if they mailed their eyeballs into YouTube before or after they committed suicide (just kidding). Its also reported that they had carved a cryptic inscription into their forearms that no one has been able to decipher. [insert Dark Shadows music here]

Periodically, YouTube puts the first 20 seconds of the video online in order to stop people from looking for the real video and uploading it. Only one YouTube staff member watched the video itself and that staff member screamed hysterically after watching the video for only 45 seconds. He has not been able to recall what he saw and has required medication since. The other YouTube staff who were in the roo at the time turned the video off when he started screaming and were too frightened to look at the screen themselves.

No one has ever been able to identify the man in the video and the IP that uploaded the video doesn't exist.

That is the legend of Mereana Mordengard Glasgow.

Sweet dreams ......

Midwest Earthquate

2008-04-18T20:58:00.001-04:00

There was an earthquake in Illinois this morning! About 5:30 a.m. this morning people in Illinois and throughout the Midwest were awakened by a 5.2 earthquake, the largest ever for that area.

The earthquake was in Southeastern Illinois but rattled skyscrapers in Chicago, was felt in Michigan, Ontario, Indiana as well as other areas in the Midwest. People were shaken out of bed and had the reactions you could expect for people living in an area not used to earthquakes.

I can only imagine how that would be. That's a decent size earthquake, especially for that area. I suppose people in California wouldn't be impressed, but I am.

The Midwest earthquake happened on the Wabash fault. That's a northern extension of the New Madrid fault. It happened about six miles outside of Mt. Carmel, Illinois.

People in the area are still experiencing aftershocks from the Midwest earthquake.

Find out about the New Madrid Fault.

Diamonds are a Girls Best Friend!

2008-04-18T17:57:00.002-04:00

How do we sure we were able to purchase the best price and quality of diamond? Its not easy for those of us who don't know that much about diamonds! I learned a lot about it when my husband bought the diamond I am wearing now.

What my Beloved Curmudgeon did was go to the jeweler and look for a diamond, not a diamond ring. I guess I'm just not elite enough to have known to do that, but he did. He wanted a perfect diamond. I ended up with a near-flawless diamond. Its not as large and showy as some might be, but I know that the diamond that he choose is absolutely gorgeous. It is clear and bright. I can see all sorts of colors reflected in the prisms that were created when the jeweler shaped it. And I know it only has one little itsy bitsy flaw. The jeweler told us it would be very difficult and extremely expensive to find a more perfect diamond. I like that. Whenever I see someone flashing around a huge diamond I know that it might be bigger than mine, but its not as flawless as mine. Heh!

There are a lot of things to consider when shopping for a diamond. Yes, I said a diamond, not a diamond ring. You are much better off picking out the diamond and having it set into a ring setting than buying one already cut and set. When you are looking at a loose diamond you can see more clearly what you need to see in order to determine its value. You can actually save thousands of dollars and end up with a much more valuable ring by buying the diamond separately. Diamond prices are determined by the 4Cs. That is carat weight (how big it is), cut, color and clarity. Thinking of it that way makes it so much easier to remember for me!

Does the idea of walking into a jeweler and trying to determine the value of a loose diamond scare you to death? It does me too. What do we know? That's why we need to depend on people who DO know and who are experts in the field. You can work with people from Diamond Price Guru, for instance. They are experts and will walk you through the process of choosing the diamond that is right for you. Size isn't everything in this instance. You need to find a diamond in your price range that is the best quality you can afford. They will help you do that.

Diamond Price Guru uses prices from eleven reputable stores to help you compare prices and quality of over 400,000 diamonds! Their website is full of useful information, including some really great proposal stories! They also have articles with tons of information on how to shop for a diamond. The website is very user friendly and will walk you through the process. You can use their expertise and end up with a true family heirloom that you will treasure for the rest of your life. I hope you'll check it out. Just click on the link above to go there and start learning about diamonds!

Spanish Women Stuck With Unsold Nude Calendars

2008-04-18T17:36:00.000-04:00

What on earth is the world coming to when Spanish women can't sell nude calendars! Not only can't they sale them, but they are stuck with 5,000 unsold calendars and have ended up in debt for their efforts.

Seven middle-aged Spanish mothers who posed for a tongue-in-cheek nude calendar - a fundraiser for their children's tiny, rural school - are now saddled with debt and 5,000 unwanted copies.

One of the photos shows the mothers with Christmas tinsel as their only garb - no private parts on view. Other goofy poses include a shotgun-toting mother wearing only a fox pelt and kneeling on a table, and another shows a woman covering her body with a red umbrella on a picnic table.

They got the idea to raise funds by posing nude from some British counterparts who started the nude calendar posing trends. The British women raised over a million pounds for their charity and have a hit movie about them, Calendar Girls.

This HAS to be humiliating for the Spanish ladies!

The women acknowledge being rank amateurs in publishing and advertising, and because of a miscue with a distributor they missed out on the Christmas shopping rush. Now, sales of the $8 calendar have dried up and they owe a printer nearly $16,000.

"The sad part for us is figuring out what to do with them because it is not something you can recycle," said Rosa Garin, 36, one of the models in Serradilla del Arroyo, a village of 400 people in northern Salamanca province.

The hamlet is a snapshot of rural Spain: quaint but graying, with retirees accounting for 75 per cent of the population. The arrival of a new family with small children is greeted like manna from heaven. Funding for services is scant.

How to Make the Most of your Rose Arrangements

2008-04-18T13:54:00.003-04:00

The video below is provided by Proflowers and is a great video if you are interested in flowers, flower arranging and how to get the most out of your flower arrangements. This video has to do with roses. I found it very helpful in that it provided very simple and easy to follow tips on how to prepare the roses so that they will last longer and bloom more beautifully.

You can watch the video below or click on the link to watch it at YouTube.

My Cat Got Left Out on the Porch

2008-04-14T02:24:00.002-04:00

My poor fat cat got closed out on the screened in porch last night. I didn't realize it till I went out there to vacuum a couple of hours ago.

She. Was. Not. Happy!!!! At. All.

She gave me a VERY dirty look when I opened the door and sashayed by me with a accusatory meow.

After she got over her initial snit, she came up to me and pretty much demanded I pick her up and pet her for a few minutes. She's a little scaredy cat and while she likes to stay on that porch a lot of the time, I'm sure being out there alone all night was no fun at all for her. So I petted her a few minutes and then she got down and disappeared to where ever it is she goes when she wants to be alone and sulk.

I feel bad :(

BTW, I've had her on a diet and put her food downstairs so that she has to walk up and down the stairs to eat. But she still looks like this. We are trying .....

Fashionable and Affordable Baby Slings

2008-04-14T01:39:00.006-04:00

Slinglings has the cutest fashionable and affordable baby slings!! Slinglings is a Seattle home-based business that specializes in baby slings and carriers.

They offer a large variety of fabrics so you can pick something that is right for you. Aside from the stylish fabrics, these designer baby slings are padded for comfort and are easy to slip on and off. You don't have to worry about Velcro, ties or buckles. You can even get a matching one for dolls. If you have a little one, he or she can carry her doll around while mommy carries the baby.

I really wish they had these when my babies were little!

Press Release:

Who: Sara Gower
Contact: www.slinglings.com info@slinglings.com 1-800-887-1461

The rest of the nation is finally catching on: babywearing is one of the most natural and intuitive ways to care for babies.

And Seattle's Slinglings.com, a home-based three-year-old company run by Sara and Stephen Gower, is one of the most innovative baby sling businesses out there. The company has more than 10,000 pouches in stock and ready to ship.

“I started by making a few slings to carry my son around the city. People were so interested in the pouches that I started making more to sell locally,” said Sara. “The reception was so phenomenal that my husband and I started our Slinglings website and from there, the business just took off.”

All of Slinglings' pouches are sewn by Seattle-based seamstresses and can be ordered in more than 80 fabrics, some of which were designed by Stephen himself. A line of 12 designer prints, 5 of which are exclusive Slinglings’ designs, was just added to their collection.

Another feature that sets Slinglings apart is its interactive sizing tool. By entering height, weight, bra size, measurements, or any combination of these numbers, Slinglings' advanced sizing calculator recommends a sling size based on the feedback of more than 15,000 previous customers.

“From the beginning, we've collected sizing statistics. We're always adding to our database and it's resulted in an incredibly accurate sizing tool,” said Sara. “It takes the guesswork out of ordering pouches.”

Babywearing, an art practiced for centuries, allows parents to resume their usual activities like walking, socializing, cleaning, and cooking while their babies get the incomparable benefit of close contact with their caregivers.

“Wearing my children has been one of the best parenting choices I've made,” said Sara. “I'm so fortunate to be able to bring that same experience to others.”

Slinglings offers competitive pricing—prices start at $36.95-- and welcomes all wholesale inquiries.

--Megan McKee

John Kanzius Invents Cancer Cure Machine

2008-04-13T23:19:00.004-04:00

John Kanzius is from Erie, Pennsylvania. He owned Jet Broadcasting until he retired about a year ago. He also is an inventor. He believed that he could use radio frequency to cure cancer without the horrible side effects associated with other cancer treatments. His cancer fighting machine is called Kanzius RF therapy and was featured on 60 Minutes.

Six years ago Kanzius was diagnosed with terminal leukemia. He has been subjected with 36 rounds of chemotherapy in the years since his diagnosis. He is very humble about his invention. He emphasizes that he doesn't want to give people false hope and that he's not a 'cancer expert'. Even so, his invention is being recognized by the most respected experts in the field of cancer research as the 'most exciting cancer therapy' to have come on the scene in over twenty years.

When Kanzius first started working on his machine his wife thought he had lost his mind. She reminded him that doctors haven't found a cure for cancer so it was unlikely he could. He has said that sometimes it takes someone on the outside with a different perspective to see something those on the inside aren't seeing. He said it wasn't his own cancer that motivated him, but the eyes of the children on the cancer wards he saw when he went to get his own treatment.

In spite of all the odds, it seems that his machine is working, at least with some forms of cancer. Trials of the RF treatment have shown that the machine kills 100 percent of malignant cells in humans and animals without harming surrounding healthy tissue.

This week, Kanzius was awarded the 2008 Louis J. Tullio Community Service Award by the Erie Regional Chamber and Growth Partnership. He accepted the award via a pre-recorded video (video below) from his home in Florida. Kanzius has formed a company, Therm Med LLC, to promote the commercial development of his cancer-killing machine.

John Kanzius Speech (Video)

Digital Photography Forum

2008-04-11T18:11:00.002-04:00

I love photography. Unfortunately, I'm terrible at it. I have no idea why I'm so bad. I take tons of photos and they never turn out quite right. I try. I've actually studied it on the internet and still I just can't quite get it. I admire people who can. Some people just seem to have a natural talent when it comes to capturing what they are seeing through the lens of a camera.

I found a pretty awesome forum today that is all about digital photography. Its called “No BS Photo Success.” I'm thinking that I may join even though I don't take good pictures. I enjoy seeing good photos and maybe I'll learn something. I would like to learn more about some of the more professional techniques, like lighting and coloring.

The site has a Digital Photography Forum and I read through some of the posts to see if they are user friendly for beginners like me or if they were too technical. I was glad to see that they cover all skill levels.

The site has an “Inner Circle Forum” which is probably for the more serious photographers. I’d like to work my way up to the more professional level and the best thing about forums is that you can ask a question to get help and there will be several people answering to help you out in a friendly way. So now I have a place to go to ask questions and learn more about the advanced techniques. Okay, I need to ask about basic techniques, but I can do that too there.

The site has some tutorials and videos, plus the Photography Forum, so I will be spending some time there and seeing if I can learn something. Hopefully I'll see some improvement in my ability to capture what I am seeing through the lens. If you like to take photos and go visit this site, let me know what you think by posting a comment for me, and if you are posting your photos I would love to come see them if you give me the link.

I hope I'll see you there!

Take Me Away to Cancun!

2008-04-11T17:58:00.001-04:00

I was just going through some old pictures and ran across a bunch of pictures from a vacation we took to Mexico a few years ago. We were just south of Cancun at the Riviera Maya. Its a wonderful place to stay as long as you are in a good all inclusive resort so that your food and drinks are tailored for foreign visitors. I can tell you from personal experience, our digestive systems are not accustomed to the inhabitants of the food and drink products down there. Montezuma's revenge is NOT something I ever want to have again.

Anyway, I just wanted to post a few of the pics. Enjoy .....

Pink Flamingos

Riviera Maya

January on the Yucatan Peninsula

Ancient Church on the Yucatan Peninsula

A small example of the huge Chichen Itza Mayan ruins on the Yucatan Peninsula.

Things I've Learned from Email!

2008-04-11T17:46:00.002-04:00

I just want to thank all of you for your educational emails over the past year.

Thanks to you, I no longer open a public bathroom door without using a paper towel.

I can't sit down on the hotel bedspread because I can only imagine what has happened on it since it was last washed.

I have trouble shaking hands with someone who has been driving because the number one pass-time while driving alone is picking your nose. (Although cell phone usage may be taking the number one spot)

Eating a Little Debbie sends me on a guilt trip because I can only imagine how many gallons of trans fats I have consumed over the years.

I can't touch any woman's purse for fear she has placed it on the floor of a public bathroom. Yuck!

I must send my special thanks to whoever sent me the one about poop in the glue on envelopes because I now have to use a wet sponge with every envelope that needs sealing.

Also, now I have to scrub the top of every can I open for the same reason.

I no longer have any savings because I gave it to a sick girl (Penny Brown) who is about to die in the hospital for the 1,387,258th time.

I no longer have any money at all, but that will change once I receive the $15,000 that Bill Gates/Microsoft and AOL are sending me for participating in their special e-mail program.

I no longer worry about my soul because I have 363,214 angels looking out for me, and St. Theresa's novena has granted my every wish.

I no longer eat KFC because their chickens are actually horrible mutant freaks with no eyes or feathers.

I no longer use cancer-causing deodorants even though I smell like a water buffalo on a hot day.

Thanks to you, I have learned that my prayers only get answered if I forward an email to seven of my friends and make a wish within five minutes.

Because of your concern I no longer drink Coca Cola because it can remove toilet stains.

I no longer can buy gasoline without taking someone along to watch the car so a serial killer won't crawl in my back seat when I'm pumping gas.

I no longer drink Pepsi or Dr. Pepper since the people who make these products are atheists who refuse to put 'Under God' on their cans.

I no longer use Saran wrap in the microwave because it causes cancer.

And thanks for letting me know I can't boil a cup of water in the microwave anymore because it will blow up in my face...disfiguring me for life.

I no longer check the coin return on pay phones because I could be pricked with a needle infected with AIDS.

I no longer go to shopping malls because someone will drug me with a perfume sample and rob me.

I no longer receive packages from UPS or FedEx since they are actually Al Qaeda in disguise.

I no longer shop at Target since they are French and don't support our American troops or the Salvation Army.

I no longer answer the phone because someone will ask me to dial a number for which I will get a phone bill with calls to Jamaica , Uganda , Singapore and Uzbekistan.

I no longer buy expensive cookies from Neiman Marcus since I now have their recipe.

Thanks to you, I can't use anyone's toilet but mine because a big brown African spider is lurking under the seat to cause me instant death when it bites my butt.

And thanks to your great advice, I can't ever pick up $5.00 dropped in the parking lot because it probably was placed there by a sex molester waiting underneath my car to grab my leg.

I can no longer drive my car because I can't buy gas from certain gas companies!

If you don't send this e-mail to at least 144,000 people in the next 70 minutes, a large dove with diarrhea will land on your head at 5:00 PM this afternoon and the fleas from 12 camels will infest your back, causing you to grow a hairy hump. I know this will occur because it actually happened to a friend of my next door neighbor's ex-mother-in-law's second husband's cousin's beautician...

Have a wonderful day....

Oh, by the way.....

A German scientist from Argentina, after a lengthy study, has discovered that people with insufficient brain activity read their e-mail with their hand on the mouse. Don't bother taking it off now, it's too late.

Awesome New Surfboard Bags

2008-04-11T17:27:00.003-04:00

If you are into surfing, then you absolutely must see the awesome new surfboard bags at the Surfboard Warehouse! They have a ton of them that are really great.

Serious surfers know that taking care of your surfboard is very important. If you just tie the surfboard on top of your car to transport it then you are risking scratches, chips and damage to your board. With the small investment of a surfboard bag you can save yourself the grief of damage to the large investment you have put into your surfboard.

Aside from the commonsense reasons to use a surfboard bag, they are just great looking. Check out the inventory at the Surfboard Warehouse. I think you are bound to find one that you just love.

Viva la France!

2008-04-11T17:21:00.001-04:00

Its seems so unfair that everyone makes fun of the French all the time. I know, I've been guilty of it myself, but I feel very badly about it. I really do.

I know the French haven't won a war since the Norman Invasion of 1066. That's when the French warriors all moved to England and apparently took the warrior DNA with them. Whoops. I did it again. I didn't mean to make fun of them again. What was I saying? Oh yeah, just because they haven't won a war since 1066 and just because their immediate response to any kind of aggression seems to be immediate surrender followed by wine and cheese, doesn't mean they deserve to be the butt of jokes throughout the world.

Happily, I have found the following video that is proof positive that the French still have that warrior gene somewhere deep inside of them. Perhaps it will resurface. Maybe its resurfacing even as I type this. They are actually quite fearsome Soldiers. It could very well be that one of the best kept secrets in the world is that these French men might possibly be the most dangerous men on earth!

Victoire pour la France!!

Appréciez .....

French military demonstrating the World's Best Anti-Tank Missile

Edna Parker is Oldest Living Person

2008-04-10T19:28:00.002-04:00

Japan's oldest person died today at 113 years of age. She was Kaku Yamanaka who was born on Dec. 11, 1894. She only became her country’s oldest person in February after Tsuneyo Toyonaga passed away. Health Ministry officials have not named Japan’s new oldest person.

The world's oldest person lives right here in the good ol' U.S.A. Edna Parker of Shelbyville, Indiana is recognized by the Guinness Book of World Records as the oldest person in the world at 114 years of age. She was born on April 20, 1893 and will turn 115 on her birthday.

Just a little bit of useless information to keep you informed and help you be the life of the party!!! I'm always here to help.

source

Christopher Traverse Survives Wilderness Thanks to Survivorman

2008-04-10T18:06:00.000-04:00

My husband is a Survivorman fan so that means I've watched Les Stroud mark his territory more than once myself. You know how it is, we women watch what our men watch. Its just a fact of life, men control the remote.

Interestingly, there is a story in the news right now about a guy who survived because of watching Survivorman. Twenty-four year old Christopher Traverse spent five days lost in the snowy wilderness and credits Survivorman with his survival. Seriously!

Mr. Traverse said he credits his survival to knowledge gleaned from an unlikely source.

"I watch a show called Survivorman," he said.

Survivorman is a reality-based show whose protagonist, Les Stroud, ventures out into the wilderness for a week at a time, with nothing but his wits to survive on.

It's from the show that Mr. Traverse said he learned how to eat snow to fend off dehydration, and how to make a shelter from the twigs and branches.

"I wanted that experience -- I got it and then some," Mr. Traverse said with a laugh.

Traverse had been on a fishing trip in the wilderness of northern Manitoba when he got lost on the way back to his uncles house. Fresh snow had covered up his tracks and while trying to find it way without having the tracks to follow his snowmobile ran out of gas.

He used the survival skills he learned from watching Survivorman and managed to not only survive in the frigid weather for five days but to eventually make his way to town and walk into a store to call his family.

Searchers are looking for his snowmobile, but he said his family won't let him go along to look for it. Ha!

The Pianoman Next Door

2008-04-09T02:42:00.000-04:00

My Beloved Curmudgeon and I have moved a lot during our marriage. We've bought and sold several houses along the way. In all that moving we have found a few things have been very consistent for us. Those things have been so consistent that by the time we bought the house we currently live in we were joking about having to make sure those things were in place before we bought it.

For instance, we have always had very interesting neighbors. Interesting as in eccentric and/or just downright odd. Almost all of our neighbors have had the same first name. I won't name the name on the outside chance my neighbor happens to read this. I'll keep an element of plausible deniability for the sake of peace in the neighborhood. We actually thought of asking our neighbor's names before we bought the house. We joked about it, but didn't actually ask. Sure enough, when we met the neighbor closest to us, he had the same name. When my Beloved Curmudgeon and I got back to the house after meeting him we were slack jawed. What are the odds!

Our neighbors have been a source of perverse entertainment for us over the years. There was an elderly couple that lived across the street from us years ago who had the loudest fights. This wasn't the type of neighborhood one would expect this type of behavior which made it all the more entertaining. They would start fighting. She would throw him out of the house. He would stand out in the yard and yell for her to let him back in. She would yell at him out the window and start throwing his stuff out into the yard. He would stomp and snort around in the yard for a while. He'd usually wind up pleading with her. He'd finally get in his car and drive around the block repeatedly. Eventually, he'd pull back into the driveway and she'd let him back in. This happened about twice a week.

I'm a little embarrassed to admit it, but more than a few times my Beloved Curmudgeon and I would turn off the lights and sit on the floor by the window watching them, we'd make sarcastic remarks to each other and laugh like a couple of idiots. Like I said, perverse entertainment.

Every single house we've lived in has had its own form of entertainment from the neighbors. In fact, I think we've provided entertainment for our neighbors a time or two, but that's another story.

Our current neighbor-with-the-same-first-name-as-all-our-other-neighbors is as entertaining as any of them. He is friendly, jovial and I've never heard him and his wife fight. However, he has a tendency to walk around his front yard in red shorts and no shirt .... and he weights at least 300 pounds. Its really not a pretty sight, especially when he bends over to pick up something. He also has a tendency to cook out on a grill on his back deck naked. Yes, naked. I've told my Beloved Curmudgeon I'm not eating any hamburgers he might bring over to share!

We live on a heavily wooded side of a mountain. His house is the only house we can see if we are sitting on our back screened in porch. We sit on our back screened in porch a lot. In the summer you can only make the house out through the trees. In the winter its a very clear view, especially if he has his lights on. Either way, its hard to miss him when he's cooking out. I have given him the benefit of the doubt and assumed he didn't know we could see him. You know, the trees and all. My Beloved Curmudgeon says that of course he knows, he just doesn't care. I admit, the more I've gotten to know this neighbor - with - the - same - first - name - as - all - our - other - neighbors the more I'm convinced that if he thinks about it at all, he really doesn't care.

The thing about this neighbor - with - the - same - first - name - as - all - our - other - neighbors is that he runs a piano business out of his basement. He has a couple of big trucks in his drive-way and picks up and delivers pianos. He tunes the finest pianos in the area, some from his basement. I brought my laptop out to our screened in back porch a while ago and sat down. When I got all settled and quiet I heard the music of Mozart floating over from my neighbor's house. It was beautiful. Stunningly beautiful. I just sat and listened until he stopped.

Our neighbor who walks around his yard unclothed, who cusses like a trucker, is uncouth, is big and burly and could care less what anyone thinks of him, can play the piano with the touch of a fine concert virtuoso.

No one would know that about him if you judged him by first appearance. You could only know that if you sat on my screened in back porch and listened.

Beautiful Unique Wedding Invitations Online

2008-04-08T02:33:00.005-04:00

I have found the nicest wedding invitations online that you can personalize in all kinds of ways. I like the daisy invitation pictured to the left. But honestly, there are so many there to choose from that it would be hard to decide.

One of the nice features about the 1st Class Wedding Invitations online is that you can pick out the invitation you like, change the colors, font, quotes, wording and more. You can make it yours with just a few clicks of the mouse. Its so simple that I could hardly believe it. You end up with a truly unique wedding invitation that is all yours and made to your liking.

They have a huge variety of styles and types. If you want a cute couple on the cover of a heavy card stock or a delicate flower on a translucent paper or anything in between you can find it there.

The prices are pretty nice too! You get top quality paper and printing at online discount prices. I just think its a wonderful service!

Eyewitness to the Green Zone Attack

2008-04-06T01:54:00.001-04:00

Lara Logan was there as U.S. troops responded to insurgent attacks on Baghdad's heavily fortified Green Zone.

Iraq's Prime Minister, Nuri Al-Maliki, has suspended his attacks on the insurgent groups that have been fighting the government there for days now. Moktada al-Sadr is still causing trouble in Sadr City and is calling for protests. The thing is, Sadr had pulled back and now al-Maliki is backing off. Is this any way to fight a war????

Now the U.S. has to go back in and get control of the situation ... AGAIN! al-Sadr's been causing trouble for years so one has to wonder why he's still drawing breath. I would think that at some point we'd learn a lesson or two from history. You can't win the peace until you've won the war. We tried to skip a step there. Lets win the war, THEN try to win the 'hearts and minds' of the people.

Brand Name Apparel For Under $20

2008-04-03T18:04:00.004-04:00

Have you started getting your summer wardrobe ready? I sure haven’t, and its already getting hot outside. I've been looking at items I need to add to my wardrobe, but I really don't want to spend a bundle. I'm not a billionaire but I like looking like one :)

I found an online discount outlet. Its Brandlet.com (Brands Under $20. Everything in the store is under $20 including designer brand names like BCBG, Dolce & Gabanna, Inc., Ralph Lauren, Jones New York, Liz Claiborne and many more. So if you are worried about what kind of quality you get at that price you don't need to worry any more!

Brandlet is like the best of both worlds. If you were to buy these brands elsewhere, you can expect to pay a fortune, but at Brandlet you get both, the quality and the low prices. They have brand names you are familiar with and love at up to 90% off retail prices! So is your wardrobe ready for the summer? Mine still needs some work and at these prices I can get a lot more for my wardrobe. Take a look at what they have to offer. There are some really beautiful pieces and I just can't believe the prices.

To make it even better, You can use coupon code “MBSL5” to get an additional 5% off your order.

The Great Escape

2008-04-03T17:50:00.000-04:00

Ha ha!!! My bird, an African Grey, did this same thing last week. We ended up having to wire the doors shut. He then chewed through the original cord we put on the door. We then put a thicker, stronger cord on the door and so far so good.

I just wish I had thought to make a video of his escape!

John McCain Meets Lex the Dog

2008-04-02T17:20:00.000-04:00

Do you remember the story of Lex? The Gathering of Eagles wrote about him a few months ago. He is a retired U.S. Marine. He was the faithful companion of Marine Cpl. Dustin Jerome Lee until Lee was killed in action in Iraq. Cpl. Lee's family brought Lex to live with them in Mississippi.

Cpl. Lee's mother brought Lex to meet Senator McCain today in Meridian, Mississipi. They even got to right on the Straight Talk Express. I'm sure that McCain and his family were honored to be in the company of a renowned warrior like Lex!!!

Read more about Lex at the Gathering of Eagles blog and more about his meeting with McCain here.

Pro-Troops Rally at Marines Recruiting Office in Berkeley

2008-04-02T16:35:00.000-04:00

Photo-Essay >...This rally -- with at least 400 participants at any one time and probably well over 500 grand total -- was much larger than any of the previous anti-troop protests at the office organized by Code Pink or World Can't Wait, which usually range from less than ten people to perhaps 50 at most on a few rare occasions.....>>

read more | digg story

IP Address Tools

2008-04-02T16:29:00.002-04:00

Do you really understand the Internet? I don't mean "understand" like "I could build it if I had to," but understand as in "how does it work and what does that mean for me?" Most people don't.

WhatisMyIPAddress.com aims to fix that lack of understanding. They offer, first and foremost, a lookup ip address tool. If you're really behind on your Internet - understanding, then you need to know that an "IP" is an "internet protocol" address -- it's the numbers that other computers use to identify the computer you're using. And it's how your computer and other websites remember things like "cookies." Go on the internet and see that a link is darkened, indicating that you've clicked on it before? That's other computers identifying yours by the IP. I've simplified it there; WhatisMyIPAddress explains it better here.

But what WhatIsMyIPAddress does better than explain things is give you tools to take advantage of the things they explain. They let you, like I said, lookup ip addresses to find out what computers are located where -- you can home in on the people leaving you comments or pirating your songs.

They let you trace email back to its source, too, so you can help stop those spammers that clog up your inbox everyday. And if your computer is being blocked from websites, they can help you find that out and clear it up.

WhatIsMyIPAddress.com is invaluable; the more we rely on the Internet, the more dramatically it can affect our lives. I rely on the Internet a lot -- and so do you. Their website gives you simple explanations to understand better just what's going on when you use email or surf the web, and understand the problems that can occur when you use email and surf the web.

Once you understand those problems, you can fix them, and WhatIsMyIPAddress.com does that superlatively, from seeing how your IP Address is listed to helping you change your IP address. Frankly, I don't know how you can afford not to bookmark this site and spend a lot of time on it.

Lillian Asplund Leaves Titanic Memories as Its Last Living Survivor

2008-04-02T13:42:00.000-04:00

Lillian Asplund was born in southern Sweden. Her father was a laborer who had dreams of moving the family to California so he could build a better future for his family as part of the American dream. He copied what California had to offer his family from a brochure, apparently so he could tell his wife about it. The family planned the move to America. Ms. Asplund's father bought third class tickets for himself, his wife, his four sons and his daughter on the maiden voyage of the state of the art ship, Titanic.

Lillian Asplund never talked about her trip from Sweden to America. She never talked about the night the Titanic sank taking with it her father and three older brothers. She, her mother and her baby brother were the only ones in that family to survive that night. When Ms. Asplund died at age 99 years of age, she was the last survivor of the Titanic who had memories of it. Only one other survivor remains, but he was a baby at the time. After her death, family members found a shoe box in which she had kept her memories from the night that defined the rest of her life. The contents of that shoe box are some of the rarest historical artifacts from the Titanic and are going up for auction soon.

Among them were notes Mr Asplund had copied from a flyer promoting the benefits of living in California, an American dream that enticed the family to set sail for a new life.

An incredibly rare and water-stained ticket for the luxury liner was also found. Only a handful of Titanic tickets are in existance as most of them sunk with the ship.

The paper documents recovered from his body miraculously survived for 12 days after the disaster because Mr Asplund's lifejacket kept his coat's breast pocket out of the water.

His pocket watch which stopped at 19 minutes past two - the exact time the liner sank - was also found on him. And a heart-rending note written by his grief-stricken mother in which she wrote of how she hoped to see her son again in heaven formed part of the collection.

The stunning archive includes a sad photograph of Lillian, her mother Selma and three-year-old brother Felix, who both survived, at her father's grave in 1912.

Aside from the interest of the rare items from the Titanic, the belongs of Ms. Asplund could be pieced together to give insight into the events that happened that night culminating in the demise of her family.

Carl Asplund, a 40-year-old labourer, bought seven third class tickets for the Titanic's maiden voyage from Southampton to New York on April 10, 1912.

With him were wife Selma, then aged 38, and five children Filip, 13, Clarence, nine, Carl Edgar, five, Lillian, five, and Felix, three.

When the ship hit an iceberg and started to sink on the night of April 14, the Asplunds made a decision that the family should die together along with the 1,500 who perished.

But, according to an account Selma Asplund later gave, at the last moment Felix and Lillian were thrown into lifeboat 15 by an unknown person. Mr Asplund then pushed his wife forward to go with them.

She was haunted by the memory of the faces of her husband and three sons peering over the rail moments before the ship sank. Her husband's drowned and frozen body was recovered from the Atlantic 12 days later but there was no sign of his three sons.

Found in the pockets of his brown overcoat were his gold watch, two small keys for a safety box on board which stored the family's life savings, and his gold wedding ring.

Also recovered were two pocket books, one of which contained his notes on their new life in California. It is thought he had copied out a flyer designed to entice people to California to show his wife.

Part of it read: "California wants people like you, now is your time to come here. We have green grass and wild flowers at this time of year and all the facilities you can have.

"An ideal home we can offer you we think. Perhaps you don't believe what we are saying about our climate and city. Come and see it with your own eyes."

Other papers on him included a letter dated February 28, 1912, telling Mr Asplund he had as job waiting for him.

His possessions were handed to Mrs Asplund who also kept a cold and heartless letter from White Star Line dated May 11, 1912.

It told her they were giving her late husband's effects back as they were of "small value". Mr Aldridge said: "This letter states that the items were of low value which is ironic considering just how much they are worth now."

Mrs Asplund stored the moving letter written by her mother-in-law, Kristina Samuelsson, 16 months after the tragedy, in the box.

In it she states how much her eyes hurt from where she has been in mourning.

She wrote: "My nerves are so weak and my eyes are so poor because I have been crying so much but I hope that my grieving days soon will have an end and I will join the final rest where God has promised to wipe out the tears from all the faces."

Mrs Asplund died aged 91 on April 15 1964 - 52 years to the day of the disaster. After her death Lillian Asplund put her mother's wedding ring in the box alongside that of her father's gold band.

Felix Asplund died in 1983 aged 73 and Lillian passed away in 2006. The auction takes place on Saturday, April 19.

source

Internet Dating Services

2008-04-02T13:12:00.000-04:00

I know quite a few people who have met their partners online. The problem is that its so difficult to be able to vet the people you meet. How do you know someone is who they say they are? That's why its helpful to find a the good services that screen potential matches for you.

If you are one of the millions of people frustrated with the current crop of the dating sites then you will be pleased to know that there is a website that can help you. 5stardating.com has compiled a list of the best internet dating services and internet matchmaking sites on the web. You can browse their dating sites according to your needs. They make categories are broken down to make it easy for you. For instance, there are categories based on nationality, religion and so on. They include a special category for online Matchmaking.

They also have articles that might be very helpful to you. How about an article on meeting single millionaires online? Maybe you are newly single and a little afraid to get back out there. This site has articles on these subjects and much more.

You can compare and contrast the various sites available to you. Its a one-stop-shop for a wide variety of types of dating sites so that you only have to go to one place to get information to help you decide which is best for you.

Wednesday Hero - Spc Jeffrey Jamaleldine

2008-04-02T01:01:00.002-04:00

This Weeks Hero Was Suggested By Mary Ann

Spc. Jeffrey Jamaleldine
Company C, 1st Battalion, 77th Armor

"How can I say to my sons, stand up for something, fight for what you think is right, if I don't do anything myself?"

The Jeffrey Jamaleldine that you speak to today is a complete 180 from the Jeffrey Jamaleldine that you would have spoke to in the past. In 1991, Jamaleldin was living in Germany when joined in anti-American protests on Berlin's Kurfürstendamm boulevard during Operation Desert Storm. "That was the way it was back then," he says. He was 15 and "America was simply the enemy." And today, Jeffery Jamaleldine is a wounded veteran of the U.S. Army. On June 6, 2005, after the terror bombing in Madrid, Spain, in the middle of the Iraq war, he showed up at the U.S. Army recruiting office in Little Rock, Arkansas, to enlist. His father, Bashir, told him at the time: "Son, this won't be a picnic."

On June 30, Jamaleldine was on patrol in Ramadi, Iraq. The patrol ahead of him had been ambushed by at least 70 combatants and were now under fire. During the fight, Spc. Jeffrey Jamaleldine was hit in the face by a bullet. In the end, the battle lasted into the next morning and the soldiers were able to stop the enemy from returning to Ramadi.

The article on Spc. Jeffrey Jamaleldine is five pages long, and I simply can not condense it down to only a few paragraphs. You can read the entire story here.

These brave men and women sacrifice so much in their lives so that others may enjoy the freedoms we get to enjoy everyday. For that, I am proud to call them Hero.

We Should Not Only Mourn These Men And Women Who Died, We Should Also Thank God That Such People Lived

This post is part of the Wednesday Hero Blogroll. For more information about Wednesday Hero, or if you would like to post it on your site, you can go here.

New International Long Distance Calling Service

2008-04-01T16:35:00.003-04:00

I'm always looking for a good long distance call service since my son lives overseas. It can be extremely expensive to call, but then again, there are some really good companies out there that make it much easier to make those international calls.

There is a new company out there called Trueroots. They give exceptional rates globally, but have especially fantastic India call rates as it is a member of the Tata group. That is one of India's largest and most respected business conglomerate.

Trueroots offers around the clock, 24/7/365, quality customer support and service. They are able to provide outstanding connections because of their association with the world's largest global submarine cable infrastructure. They offer advance features such as instant caller ID recognition for PIN-less dialing for up to five registered phone numbers, up to three follow-up calls without the need to redial an access number, speed dial for up to five frequently called numbers and much more.

Trueroots is growing rapidly and will soon be adding more services in addition to the services mentioned above. You will be able to get movies (including Bollywood), TV series, sports coverage, video games, music downloads and a lot more through their service. This is an exciting new service that you can find out more about by visiting their website. Check it out!

Its Raining McCain!

2008-03-28T11:53:00.002-04:00

This is so bad its good. The other candidates have women singing for them and uploading videos to YouTube, so its only right that McCain would have his very own McCain Girls! I admit, this is one of the weirdest videos I've ever seen, but its also hilarious. Don't you love these girls? And don't they love McCain?

Ah man, now that song is stuck in my head .....

Discount Shopping with Online Coupon Codes

2008-03-28T11:24:00.002-04:00

I love online shopping. Honestly, I'm just not that much of a shopper. I know women who would spend their entire days at the mall and call that a good time. That's not me. I go when I have to and do as little shopping around as I can. Its just not my thing. That's why I like online shopping. I can find what I need with just a few clicks. I can contrast and compare products without having to spend all day doing it. I generally come away feeling like I got a good deal instead of wondering if I had just gone to one more store I might have gotten it cheaper.

I really like the online discount stores that offer coupon codes. Wow, what good deals you can get at those online shops! One such site is 1-coupons.com. They have a huge variety of store and literally thousands of coupon codes, promotional deals, bargain specials and promotion code offers so that you can get the best deals from the best stores you probably already patronize.

1-coupons is a one-stop-shop for a wide variety of item from the best stores out there. You can get discount prices on digital cameras as well as fine quality stunning necklace for your girlfriend, wife or maybe yourself! You can get discounts and coupon codes on flowers to send to a sick friend and pick up some supplies you need for your dog all at the same place and at the same time.

Its easy, quick and you save money. It doesn't get much better than that!

Queen Eliziabeth II Loves Wii

2008-03-28T08:20:00.000-04:00

I know this happened over the holidays, but I think its a hoot. Prince William got a Wii over the holidays and was having a blast with it. That is, until his grandmother started hogging the system. His grandmother being none other than the Queen, of course.

Apparently she is a natural at Wii Sports Bowling. The Queen has become a bit of a technophile in recent years. Now she’s added the Wii to her list of must-have gadgets.

source

Make Sure your Identity is Secure

2008-03-27T23:06:00.003-04:00

I was surfing around the internet and ran across the website for lifelock. I have read a good bit about that company before. Apparently, they have been a successful upstart internet company that is very good at protecting the online identity of their customers. When I opened up their website, the first thing I saw was a picture of the CEO, Todd Davis, and his Social Security number. The SSN was HUGE and immediately below it is a statement that it is, indeed, his real Social Security Number. I would be tempted not to believe that had I not read about the company before on some very reputable websites. Since I've read that this is a reliable company I was definitely impressed when I saw that number sitting there at the top of the page. You can read more about them at lifelockblog.

What LifeLock does is protect your good name. They protect your online identity. We've all heard the horror stories of people who have had their credit card or social security numbers stolen. Its horrible. LifeLock helps you have more control over where, when, how and by whom that information is used. That take care of the nitty-gritty details to make sure that your rights to your own identity are protected. Those technical details are what keeps me from doing a lot of things for myself. Its time consuming and I just don't have the technical know-how to do it. They only charge $10 a month and back up their work with a $1,000,000 service guarantee. So why get a headache trying to re-invent the wheel when there are already well respected experts out there that charge so little to do it for you?

I don't want to write that I've never had an identity thief problem because I don't want to jinx it. I have known people who have and I know enough to know that I don't want to have to deal with that. I think checking in with LifeLock is definitely a good idea. Even better, right now they are offering a lifelock promotion code so you can get the service at a very reasonable price.

Bandelier National Monuement

2008-03-27T15:07:00.000-04:00

While we were in New Mexico this week, my Beloved Curmudgeon and I decided to go see Bandelier National Monument.

I think it was the word 'Monument' that threw me off. I was expecting a 'monument'. A statue or something like that to look at.

Also, in my defense, I will say that it was a spur of the moment decision to go and since it was a 'monument' I didn't think to change clothes or shoes before we went.

Up until that day, actually up until the moment we set off on this adventure, the weather in New Mexico had been great. No problems. It was something like 89 degrees, but felt like 70 degrees. To a Southerner who is used to 90% humidity it felt cool.

However, once we took off into the wilderness (and I do mean wilderness) to find the Bandelier National Monument, the clouds turned dark and there was suddenly a cold (and I do mean COLD) rain. Pouring rain.

The temperature dropped to 50 degrees in what seemed like minutes. There was hail and sleet and the biggest drops of rain I have ever seen in my life.

Being from the South, as soon as the hail started hitting the car I thought, 'TORNADO'! If you are familiar at all with the New Mexico landscape, you might can imagine how this little Southern heart sank when I looked around for shelter from the tornado that in my mind was certainly in the vicinity.

There was nothing. NOTHING! As far as the eye could see. And the eye can see a very long distance in that area.

When we got to the park and were coughing up the entrance fee, I asked the Park Ranger about tornadoes. She said they don't have tornadoes there. Much to my Beloved Curmudgeon's amusement, I unthinkingly responded, 'But it's hailing'. She looked out of her little building and then looked at me and said flatly, 'yes it is'. Period.

Okay, they don't have tornadoes there.

We proceeded into the park and towards what I thought would be a 'monument'. I think the winding, very high road would have been spectacular had we been able to see the view. But it was pouring so hard and the sound of the hail pelting the car was so loud all I could think about was not running off the road.

As a little aside here. If I ever get nervous about running off the edge of one of those really high windy roads around here My Beloved Curmudgeon always reassures me by telling me that the forest is so thick the trees would catch you before you got very far down.

There are very few trees on the Northern New Mexico mountains.Â There is nothing between you and the very steep, very far drop off just beside the road and shoulder of very loose dirt. I did think of that a time or two during this trek over the mountain.

On to Bandelier.

When we winded around enough we finally got to the visitors center. We sat in the car and looked at it. There were signs that we could see through the rain about the start of a hiking trail.

Hiking trail!!!!I like hiking trails, but not in heels. [see 2nd & 3rd paragraph] And not when it's pouring freezing huge pelts of rain when I am dressed in summer slacks and a flimsy, sheer shirt covering a thin shell top.

So we sat there.Beloved Curmudgeon was beginning to live up to his moniker, the curmudgeon part. I was thinking we drove all this way, paid to get in and now we are going to sit in the car and look at a building through the rain. I was getting a little not so nice myself, hard to believe I know.

I determined that I would buy a sweatshirt if they sold them in the gift shop and suffer with cold feet. I accepted my heels would be ruined. So we went in.

They did have sweatshirts (at $50 each). We browsed around the gift shop a little and as we were getting ready to leave the rain stopped and the sun came out! I put the $50 sweatshirt back on the shelf.

There was a couple standing under a shelter just outside the gift shop. They were supervising a group of about 15 pre-teens who seemed to be on some sort of school outing.

At the very moment I opened the door of the gift shop, the man of the couple firmly chastised the youth group by saying, 'Settle down, y'all are acting like a bunch of wild Indians.' Actually, I think he said 'you guys' instead of 'y'all'. He had a distinct mid-western accent.

The two 20-something young women behind the gift shop counter looked up, the man looked chagrined and I stifled laughter.

Neither of the 20-something young women looked wild in the least, but they were certainly Indian.

A good thing about New Mexico is that when it quits raining, it really quits. It almost instantaneously dried up. It was like it hadn't been raining at all and there was no lingering humidity. It literally immediately cleared up and dried out.

We sat out on the trail. High heels and all.

I commented to my Beloved Curmudgeon that it was very thoughtful of these pre-historic Indians to set out such nice, easy to walk on trails for us. Not only that, but periodically there were adobe/cement benches for us to sit on. Beloved Curmudgeon just condescendingly said, 'uh huh.' He doesn't think I'm nearly as funny as I think I am!

When we got to the top of the highest point the path would go, I just had to climb up one of the ladders into one of the caves in which the Anasazi people lived.

One doesn't drive that far, braving the elements, then hike that far and climb that high in heels and not take the next step of climbing into one of the caves.

So I kicked off my heels and climbed the ladder in my stocking feet. I crawled around inside the cave and explored as far as I could.

When I was leaving andÂ approached the opening of the cave, the massive mountains across the valley came into view. They were very high and I suddenly realized IÂ could see the top of them from my crouched position inside the cave.

I had one thought in my head. '!!!!!!!!!!'. That was it. '!!!!!!!!!!', I thought.

It's one thing to get up there; it's a whole other thing to get DOWN.

I went to the opening of the cave and looked down at the hiking trail. There wasn't a soul in sight. Most notably, my Beloved Curmudgeon was not in sight.

As aggravated as I get with him from time to time. At times like this I really want him to be there. So I carefully scooted closer to the edge until I was close enough to look straight down. One has to look straight down to see the very vertical ladder one had just climbed up (like the fool one is at times).

I had a momentary lapse of reason and hoped he'd be standing at the bottom of the ladder waiting to help me down. He wasn't. No one was there. Just that very vertical hand made wooden ladder.

Again, my only thought was,'!!!!!!!!!!!!'.

I've lived long enough and gotten into enough jams to know that it's best not to give this sort of thing too much thought. Thinking about it only exacerbates any feelings of panic and panic exacerbates the difficulty of the situation.

So without thinking anything else, I flipped around and felt with my toes for the ladder. Looking back I should have taken my trouser socks off - but never the less, I got down fine and jogged down the trail to find Beloved Curmudgeon. He was waiting for me on one of those convenient adobe/cement benches by the trail.

The Bandelier National Monument really is a fabulous site to see.The fact that this cave dwelling pueblo was built between the 1100s - 1400s makes it even more remarkable.

If you ever get the chance I highly recommend it, just don't wear high heels.

Its Time to Get Our Summer Bodies Back!

2008-03-26T17:57:00.003-04:00

Its starting to get warm outside and its time to open our pool. You know what that means ... that means its time to get serious about shedding those winter pounds! If you are like me, you might needs a little help with that. Fortunately, there IS help out there.

I was browsing the internet and found some great resources for help with getting back into bathing suit shape. Actually, regardless of how much weight you have to lose you can find help at Weight Loss Diet Help. The website gives you a good overview of different diet plans and weight loss programs. You can get a good idea of what weight loss programs such as Nutrisystem, Weight Watchers, eDiets and others have to offer. They also have plenty of coupons you can use to get great online discounts for those programs. For instance, you can order nutritionally balanced and clinically proven foods including soups, shakes, bars, puddings and drinks from Medifast using coupons you will find on their website.

Weight Loss Diet Help provides some really good articles on health and diet related issues. For instance, I found an article there on For Losing Weight, Little Things Can Add Up Big. I tend to think I have to do everything at once rather than taking little steps in the right direction. The articles focus on practical tips for healthy diet, fitness and nutrition. Its very helpful to get reinforcement and to be reminded that the important thing is to stay fit in a healthy manner.

LOST Promotional Video: The Shape of Things to Come

2008-03-24T09:04:00.002-04:00

I love these promos - I guess you could tell if you come here at all. This is for The Shape of Things to Come. I. Can't. Wait.

Here's the write up.

"The Shape of Things to Come" is the ninth episode of the American Broadcasting Company's fourth season of Lost and seventy-eighth episode overall. It will air on April 24, 2008 on ABC in the United States and on CTV in Canada.[1] The episode was written by co-executive producer Drew Goddard in mid-February 2008 and filmed in mid-March.

Goddard said that writing the episode was "maybe my favorite thing I've done on Lost, and I've been lucky with all the episodes I've gotten so far."[2] Karl (played by Blake Bashoff) is shot dead at the end of the previous episode and Bashoff has confirmed that if Karl's corpse is seen in "The Shape of Things to Come", it will not be played by him.

You Crack Me Up!

2008-03-22T22:32:00.004-04:00

One oyster said to the other, 'Knock, knock'. 'Who's there?' asked the other oyster, knowing his friend is prone to telling really stupid jokes. 'Oyster Beware', he replied. The other oyster rolled his eyes and replied, 'Okay. Oyster Beware who?'. 'That's it', said the first oyster. 'You should always be Oyster aware when you crack open an oyster'. Ha. Ha (not!).

Gulf oysters are delicious but you must remember to be cautious. If you have a medical condition you need to know the risks associated with eating raw oysters. You can eat those savory oysters just remember to eat them steamed, grilled, fried even boiled. When they are properly prepared there is no problem at all. Oysters are a great source of all those wonderful nutrients your body needs, so become aware of the risks and keep on eating.

Senior Communities LOVE Wii

2008-03-22T22:15:00.000-04:00

I admit that I like to play Nintendo, Xbox or Playstation. When my kids were home and played I got hooked on playing with them and still like to play. I like the Bond-type games. I can slap do the bad guys in. I don't have a Wii, but have seriously been thinking about getting one. I haven't because my kids aren't home and I can't use them as an excuse anymore. I just really have not met many women my age who like to play those games!!

All that to say, this story made me feel a lot better. No, I'm not a 'senior' and I'm not a kid either. Still, if these senior communities are getting into Wii then why can't a whippersnapper like me get one and play! That works for me!

According to MyWiiNews these are all the rage in senior-living communities. The benefits are pretty obvious. It gets people up and active both physically and mentally. It also tends to draw the kids around. So when grandpa heats up the ol' Wii, he's likely to have the grandkids coming around to challenge him to a game. Those are all good things for both the young and the old.

Okay, now I'm talking myself into it!

Designer Formal Dresses at Discount Prices

2008-03-22T22:01:00.003-04:00

Spring is coming and that means proms, graduations, weddings, charity events, the theater and other special events that we associate with that time of year. That means its time to be looking for formal dresses for those special occasions. Fortunately, there's a boutique online from which you can get authentic designer clothing at great prices.

You can find a flattering gown for whatever the occasion. If you need a tea length, street length or flowing formal gown you can find it at Elegant Mart. Their inventory is distinctive for its variety of styles. There is sure to be something that will be flattering on you. They boast original designer gowns of all types.

I've got several weddings to attend and have been looking at the selection at Elegant Mart. It is fabulous. The gowns are beautiful and the detailed embellishments are stunning. No one will ever suspect that you paid so little to look so great!

If you have some special occasions and want to make a tastefully elegant impression, you won't be able to do better than Elegant Mart. Give a try and see what you think.

There are Haunted Houses on Ponce de Leon Avenue

2008-03-21T23:52:00.003-04:00

Well, I suppose I'm fixing to tell my age, but I guess since I've written about my grown children on this blog its pretty obvious that I've gotten past 30 now. Just a little over.

The thing is I've been doing some computer work this evening. While I've been sitting here at the computer the television has been on. There was the movie The Doors, which I've seen several times but still like. Right after that there was a documentary about Janis Joplin. I've seen that before too, but watched it again anyway while I was working on the computer.

I don't know why, but something about that made me think of the haunted houses on Ponce de Leon Avenue. Isn't that strange? I've seen the shows before and never thought about Ponce de Leon in connection with them. There was something about Janis Joplin AND Jim Morrison that made me think of those houses. I haven't thought of them in years and all of the sudden I found myself looking up the houses on the computer to see if they had been fixed up or torn down or who knows what. It IS Atlanta after all so there's no telling if something that is there today will still be there tomorrow.

You probably are wondering what any of those things has to do with the other. Well, you see, I grew up in Little Five Points in Atlanta during some turbulent years. I've been back there a few times since I've left and the neighborhood isn't even recognizable to me now. Its turned into a haven for upwardly mobile, free minded, inner city professional types. It wasn't like that when I lived there. Back then, it was an area in transition (how's that for a nice way to put it! lol). The homes were beautiful and at one time had been grand, but it went through a period of .... like I said ... transition. Now the homes have been restored and rebuilt. The shops are open again selling all sorts of new age mystic gobbly gook. You can buy whatever organic foods you want and crystals and candles to ward away any evil spirits that might come your way. Its very che-che these days. Or at least was the last time I was there.

But back when it was an adventure of an entirely different sort. Tonight the music of The Doors and Janis Joplin took me back, in my mind's eye, to what us teenaged kids thought were haunted houses on Ponce de Leon Avenue.

There was a row of grand homes along one stretch of Ponce de Leon Avenue. We called them mansions. They had once been the homes of the well - to - do, but during those years they were abandoned. I don't know why. One of the adventures we had as teenagers was to drive up the long driveways to those houses and gather up our nerve to go into and explore through them. There were all sorts of nooks and crannies. I remember one chair sat in the middle of a large front room in one of the houses. The story was that the previous owner of the home sat in that chair guarding the houses from kids like us who trespassed just for the fun of it. That was creepy. Of course there were the requisite rats nests in corners, garbage strewn around, leaves blown in, spider webs and creaking doors.

Moonies had taken over one of the houses. We walked in on them one day. The house was kept up better than the others, but we didn't know the moonies had moved in. They invited us in, of course, and offered us food they had fed their gods who had regurgitated it back up so that it was pure and blessed and ready to eat. I passed on that. They gave us some sort of moonie blessing and we left. We bypassed that house in our adventures after that.

I see on the internet that the old houses have been renovated for the most part. It looks like they've been subdivided into apartments. I'm sure that property is much too valuable to leave uninhabited as it was in those few years.

You know how a smell or a song will remind you of a place and time? I think that's what happened. I'm betting that at some point in our travels throughout Atlanta in my ever present Volkswagon bug full of my ever present teenaged friends we were listening to those songs on the radio while we dared each other to go into those houses and scared each other with spooky stories and strange sounds. And so, Take Another Little Piece of My Heart suddenly transported me back to the memory of places and times from my distant past.

Jobs for Seniors

2008-03-21T23:33:00.002-04:00

Retirement is not the end of your career. Think about it twice, before you say that "I am done"! After retirement also you may need a job to support your lifestyle and live a happy life. A second career may help you to live a happy life, even after retirement. So, think about retirement job, after your retirement.

But, a job after retirement? Can I find a job that suits my lifestyle? Yes, after your retirement, you just can't take any job. You need a job that suits both your needs and your lifestyle. So, you must take the help of proper services. SeniorCareerSource is one of such services that helps 'seniors' in starting a second career. They are specialized in senior jobs.

SeniorCareerSource is a leading recruitment and placement firm serving New England since 2003. They offers free resource for job seekers and their service is supported by employers who advertise available positions where experience, dependability and integrity are valued. So, it insures that you will get the right job that suits your needs.

Visit SeniorCareerSource.com and do a search for your ideal job. You can search jobs by your interest areas or job types or locations. Be it a full time or part time or a temporary job, you will definitely get one that matches with your needs. SeniorCareerSource is the only job bank serving Massachusetts and Connecticut area, that will help you find meaningful retirement jobs that satisfy your personal goals and lifestyle after retirement.

You can create a free account with them to provide your profile to interested employers. Even you can provide your email address to get job alerts via email. If you have any questions on your mind, you can contact them via phone, post or email. They also have an online contact form that you can use to clear your doubts.

So, take help from SeniorCareerSource and find a dream job after your retirement. Because a new life starts after your retirement . Your second career will help you to make it beautiful!

Army Spc. Glenn Johnson Has Birthday Surprise for His Stepdaughter

2008-03-21T18:08:00.001-04:00

Amber Birdsall only wanted one thing for her 7th birthday. She wanted her stepfather to be home to help her celebrate. That wasn't very likely to happen seeing as her stepfather was serving a ten month tour in Guantanamo Bay, Cuba. Amber told her mother what she wanted and her mother told her stepfather, Army Spc. Glenn Johnson. He put in for leave but it was highly unlikely he'd get it. He's scheduled to complete his tour in June and it would be unusual for him to get leave this close to the end of his tour. To his surprise he was granted over a week leave. He was able to go back home in time for Amber's birthday.

Sanford, Michigan

The soldier’s flight arrived in Flint, Mich., early Sunday afternoon and he was whisked away to Northern Lanes Recreation, a bowling alley in Sanford where his stepdaughter’s birthday party was taking place.

Northern Lanes employees were in on the ruse and kept him hidden in the bar.

When Amber and her 9-year-old sister, Kathy Birdsall, opened a colorfully wrapped refrigerator box, Glenn Johnson was inside.

In addition to spending a lot of time at home with his family, Glenn Johnson and his wife planned a late celebration of their five-year wedding anniversary, which was on Valentine’s Day.

“I told her she needs to get a baby sitter and a new outfit,” he said. “I’ll take care of the rest.”

Amber had thought she might be getting a bike for her birthday. She told her mother, “This is way better than bikes,”

Make Me a Match!

2008-03-21T17:53:00.004-04:00

Well, I don't need a match, I've already got mine, but a lot of people are turning to the internet for meeting their special someone. As time goes by that's getting more and more common. We are spending more time on the internet and meeting more of the significant people in our lives through the internet. So what's a girl or guy to do when they are looking for someone special and there are so many internet matchmaking services to chose from? Which one do you turn to?

Which internet dating service you turn to depends on what you are looking for. That's why a service like TruDating.com is so helpful. You can browse through the services offered by the various well known and lesser known internet dating sites. With a service like this you can get a good sense about what each service has to offer before you go there and start looking for your special someone. In addition, TruDating has articles with internet dating information that can be very helpful when you do start seriously looking online for relationships.

So what are you waiting for? Start looking of your special relationship!

ARRGGGG ..... I Can't Get Anything Done Today

2008-03-21T00:05:00.000-04:00

I spent a lot of time at the computer today, but still got almost nothing done in terms of my blog or making any money.

I keep Yahoo Messenger open on my computer all the time because that's the primary way I communicate with my son. Actually, its the only way. I want to be available to talk with him when he can get online. He doesn't always choose to talk to me, but I want to be available anyway. He has a little fraulein he chooses to talk to online more often than he chooses me. I talk with my daughter numerous times on the phone and on the computer during the day.

Earlier today I got online with the intention of blogging something. As soon as I logged on two Yahoo Messenger windows popped up, one from my son and one from my daughter. That's very unusual because they usually tag team me. With him in Iraq and her in Southern California they are on completely different times. It's uncanny how as soon as one of them logs off the other will log on. They've been tag teaming me like that since they were babies. Their entire baby years are a blur to me. When I would get one of them to sleep the other would wake up. When I would get that one to sleep the first one would wake up again. That went on for seemingly years and I rarely slept more than an hour at a time. I tease them now that they obviously have some sort of code to let each other know when its time to get on line so that I'm at the computer way too many hours.

Today was an exception, they were online at the same time. My son sending messages to me in German because he's learning German and my daughter sending messages to me in Spanish cause she just does that. So I'm flipping back and forth between their messages and Babel Fish. My Beloved Curmudgeon is flipping the television channels between World War II documentaries, some show about truck drivers driving across ice roads (a show I have seen before a couple of times. Sadly.) and some boxing match from years ago. I asked him if he knew the outcome of the boxing match. He said he did, but kept watching it.

My son likes for me to send him photos so he can see what's going on here. My daughter was sending me photos so I was forwarding them on to him. I think they were talking to each other as well. The photos she was sending me were of her and her boyfriends on the beach, at Disneyland, and where ever else they'd been in the last few days. I told my son that she told me she's in love with this guy. 'She's always in love with whoever she's dating', he replied. I could see that he was looking through the photos. I wrote, 'Well, she's acting different this time. Very different than her other boyfriends.' He immediately replied, 'I want to see how he acts.' Woah. I watched as my son continued to scrutinize the pictures of his sister with 'the guy'. This guy has no idea that he's not only up against Beloved Curmudgeon but my daughters brother as well. I hope the guy isn't easily intimidated. If he is, he won't make it in this family.

At some point I became aware that I had been unconsciously moving myself around to get out of the way of our animals. I kept moving my laptop around because one of our dogs insist on curling up right under my feet and no matter how I move he moves so that I have to move again. The other dog watched this from across the room silently laughing because she was passing gas so badly I kept threatening to take her downstairs. The more I threatened the worse it got. Our cat was laying kinda on the couch and kinda on my shoulder so that when I moved to accommodate dog #1 she was inconvenienced and finally pranced off in a huff to curl up on the window sill.

To top it off, our bird was talking a mile a minute. His talking is usually white noise. I'm so accustomed to him that I don't really hear him until someone comes over and is shocked at his talking ... and how loud he is.

As I became aware of all the activities around me and that I was actually uncomfortable because I was accommodating ANIMALS I realized why I was getting in a foul mood. 'Do you see this?' I asked my Beloved Curmudgeon pointing at the dog at my feet. He just chucked and told me to push him out of the way if he was bothering me. Well, he won't move if I push him. Beloved Curmudgeon has to move him because the animal has no respect for me whatsoever. Beloved Curmudgeon laughed and made no move to make HIS dog move.

Worse still, both dogs and the cat can open the door between the den and back porch if the door isn't shut tight enough, which it usually isn't. They don't know how to close it, but they open it often. So I'm up and down closing the door back. Its maddening.

We have 3500 square feet in this house and all I want is a little corner of the couch to sit on with my laptop. Yet we are all crammed into this one little area. The animals are laying all over me and one of them just stinks. If it weren't so hot outside I'd take my laptop out to the back porch and make sure the door was shut very tight. But then I'd be watching my naked neighbor on his back porch.

No wonder I'm crazy.

Lapband Surgery with JourneyLite

2008-03-20T23:29:00.001-04:00

Lapband by JourneyLite is a surgical procedure that helps people who have had trouble losing weight with diet and exercise. It is one of the safest procedures for weight loss and is completely reversible. It sounds very simple. Its done by a lap-band surgeon and the lapband is likened to a wrist watch being wrapped around part of your stomach creating a smaller pocket …. in a sense making your stomach smaller to hold less food.

I’ve heard a lot of success stories from people who have had this type of procedure done. They report success with losing weight and maintaining their weight loss. The loss of weight does wonders for enabling a healthier life style. If you are thinking about taking a step like this then I would encourage you to educate yourself as much as possible so that you can make an informed decision about what kind of weight loss treatment is best for you.

Global Warming to Make a Comeback Tomorrow

2008-03-20T23:15:00.000-04:00

Reuters is reporting that its been the coldest winter in more than a decade. Not to worry though. Spring starts tomorrow and surely Global Warming will return in due order.

Icy start, but 2008 may be in top 10 warmest years

"So far 2008, for the globe, has been quite cold, only just above the 1961-90 average," said Phil Jones, head of the Climatic Research Unit at the University of East Anglia which supplies global temperature data to the United Nations.

"This is just January and February, so two coolish months comparable to what happened in 1994 and 1996," he told Reuters.

The northern spring formally begins on March 20 this year.

And an underlying warming trend, blamed by the U.N. Climate Panel on human use of fossil fuels, is likely to reassert itself after the end of a La Nina cooling of the Pacific in the coming months.

I'm more than willing to accept any money you want to send me to offset your carbon footprints. I'll plant a tree to ensure you can still drive your SUV. Just put the funds in my paypal account :)

Employee Training with Animated Software Products

2008-03-20T23:02:00.003-04:00

Employee training is one of the most important aspects of any business. Your business will be judged by the quality of your employees. They can make or break you. Employers are often looking for ways to enhance employee training to make it more effective.

The Marastar.com has designed a new kind of training and communication strategy that is geared toward just this concern of employers. We all know that visual aids are commonly used because of the impact they have. Marastar.com takes the visual aid another step to make an even more powerful tool for training employees.

They incorporate humor and animation in their customer service videos to help make your training and communications more effective and memorable. Marastar.com covers a broad range of training needs such as customer service, sales and effective communications.

One training program currently in great demand is call center training. The reason for this demand is that the call center business has spread globally. Many of these centers are based in non-Western countries because of the cost savings to locate there. Marastar understands the particular needs of being able to train employees globally and employees who may not be accustomed to interacting with Western customers. Their training software is very helpful from the standpoint of being able to train globally.

Marastar.com builds their training software on the concept of 'First you laugh, then you learn'. By integrating cartoons into the training program they use humor to teach important business lessons. The animations are short and humorous which helps with our notoriously short attention spans while still getting the message across. The humor also improves retention of the message.

Studies have shown there are many benefits to laughter. Laughter causes our bodies to release endorphins, and reduces the hormone released during stress response. Our heart rate quickens, our brains become more active. Humor puts us in a better state of mind and makes us more receptive. Our minds and bodies make a connection between what we’ve seen or heard and the good feeling that followed. All of this leads to improved retention!

I have been an employee and seen the eyes of my employees glaze over when discussing issues that must be covered, but that even I knew was boring. Its great to know there is a company out there that is addressing that issue and creating training that will keep your employees attention even if the subject matter is not that exciting!

John Malkovich in the Bathtub with Craig Bierk (video)

2008-03-20T22:24:00.000-04:00

Just what everyone wants to see .... John Malkovich naked in a tub with another man. The thought of that makes me scared to hit the play button on the video. Its more than a little frightening to think about. He gets in the tub with talk show host Craig Bierko in the premiere of the new talk show Unhitched. Get over your fear, its funny.

Have a Debt Management Plan

2008-03-19T22:42:00.003-04:00

I’ve only had a couple of experiences with getting Personal Loans. One time we took out a personal loan to buy some items that we wanted and there was no real problem with it except having to pay it back! The other was when my daughter decided to take out a personal Loan to consolidate her bills when she finished her education. She had taken out quite a few loans during her schooling, including for her tuition and living expenses. She had gotten pretty much every credit card that had been offered her and taken out loans for even just spending money!

When she finished school she was all of the sudden overwhelmed with the number of bills she was receiving. She learned one of those lessons we all learn at some point or the other, that being, its easy to get a loan but they do eventually come due! She found herself neck deep in debt before she even had a job. I felt really bad for her, but its one of those lessons we have to learn. She needed a Debt Management Plan.

Her first reason was to cut up all her credit cards. That was good. She tried for a while to pay on each bill, but she wasn’t getting ahead because she was only paying the minimum every month. I advised her to concentrate on paying off one bill at a time. That she’d have to pay more than the minimum and to pay as much as she could on one bill to get it paid off. Then move on to the next bill and concentrate on that one until she paid it off.

She went ahead and applied for a personal Loan anyway and called me in tears several times in the process. The AMOUNT it was going to take to pay off those bills was a little staggering. I kept advising her to break it down into manageable pieces and pay off one bill at a time. That’s basically all I could tell her because that’s what has worked for me in the past. Plus, as I didn’t mind reminding her, I had TOLD her not to get all those credit cards!

I was reminded of that when I was reading this article on why its not a good idea to use a personal loan to consolidate debt. As the article points out, it has a negative affect on your credit and as she found out, can be overwhelming to have to pay off that one big bill.

Baby Galapagos Giant Tortoise Born at Zürich Zoo

2008-03-19T17:28:00.004-04:00

I actually don't know if you say it was 'born' or it was 'hatched'. Either way, there's a new baby Galapagos Giant Tortoise at the Zürich Zoo.

The picture above gives you some idea of the size difference between the mama tortoise and the baby tortoise who was either born or hatched a few weeks ago. The 70-year-old Nigrita who weighs about 550 pounds has lived in the Zürich Zoo since 1946. She gave birth to her little one who weights 2.8oz but will eventually get as large as she is.

Seventy may seem rather old to be reproducing, but the Galapagos tortoise doesn't reach sexual maturity until it is 25, and can live to be more than 150 years old.

Mating can occur at any time during the year, and the female tortoise can produce between two and 16 tennis ball-sized eggs, which she buries in a 1ft deep nest.

They then incubate for around 130 days. Unusually, temperature can effect the gender of the hatchlings — a low nest temperature means they are likely to be male, while a hot, stuffy nest is more likely to produce females.

However, it is impossible to determine the sex of a Galapagos tortoise until it is 15 years old.

A fully-grown tortoise such as Nigrita can weigh up to 550lb and measure more than 3ft high. In contrast, her young weighs only 2.8oz and measures just 2.4in.

Growth will occur slowly over the next 40 years, at which point the tortoises reach full size. Their large shells add to their impressive appearance and act as a shield against predators.

This magnificent armour is actually a bone, and a crucial part of the tortoise skeleton. However, it does slow them down, as they have an average speed of only 0.18mph.

No one knows why the Galapagos reptiles are so large, but it's possible that a lack of predators on the South American islands meant they evolved free from danger — until they were discovered by mankind in the 18th century.

During the 18th and 19th centuries, many of the tortoises were killed for food by whalers and pirates. When they were discovered, there were around 250,000 on the islands.

Today there are 15,000, and although they are protected by law, poaching continues — 120 have been killed since 1990.

Now you can't say you don't learn something by coming to Blue Star Chronicles!

source

North Wales Caravan Park

2008-03-19T10:57:00.003-04:00

How cool would it be to have a vacation home in North Wales? Gorsehill Caravan Park provides Luxury Caravans at very reasonable prices that can be used to build years of wonderful family memories in one of the most beautiful locations in the world.

As you can see from the picture of the interior of one of the quality built caravans these are very nicely appointed and comfortable homes. Gorsehill works with you to construct a caravan that is suited to you and your needs. They will advise you and work with you until you have the tailor-made home that is perfect for you.

Best of all, the location is fabulous. You can enjoy a ride range of local attractions just steps away from your new vacation home. The bustling and charming Town of Conwy is world renowned for its historical and architectural heritage. It offers contemporary and historic entertainment and points of interest as well as ancient festivals and fairs.

The area also boasts of castles, caverns, museums, mines, marinas, golf and much, much more. It is simply spectacular.

Take a look at their website for a taste of the luxury and charm of this gorgeous area of the world. Give them a call and find out how easily you can have a vacation home there!

Wednesday Hero - Spc. Monica Lin Brown

2008-03-19T00:50:00.001-04:00

Spc. Monica Lin Brown
19 years old from Lake Jackson, Texas
4th Squadron, 73rd Cavalry Regiment, 4th Brigade Combat Team

Army Spc. Monica Lin Brown has done something only a very few female soldiers in American history have ever done. She's been awarded the Silver Star.

Brown saved the lives of fellow soldiers after a roadside bomb tore through a convoy of Humvees in the eastern Paktia province of Afghanistan in April 2007. "I did not really think about anything except for getting the guys to a safer location and getting them taken care of and getting them out of there."

"We stopped the convoy. I opened up my door and grabbed my aid bag," Brown said.

She started running toward the burning vehicle as insurgents opened fire. All five wounded soldiers had scrambled out.

"I assessed the patients to see how bad they were. We tried to move them to a safer location because we were still receiving incoming fire," Brown said. "So we dragged them for 100 or 200 meters, got them away from the Humvee a little bit," she said. "I was in a kind of a robot-mode, did not think about much but getting the guys taken care of."

For Brown, who knew all five wounded soldiers, it became a race to get them all to a safer location. Eventually, they moved the wounded some 500 yards away and treated them on site before putting them on a helicopter for evacuation.

"I did not really have time to be scared," Brown said. "Running back to the vehicle, I was nervous (since) I did not know how badly the guys were injured. That was scary."

The military said Brown's "bravery, unselfish actions and medical aid rendered under fire saved the lives of her comrades and represents the finest traditions of heroism in combat."

These brave men and women sacrifice so much in their lives so that others may enjoy the freedoms we get to enjoy everyday. For that, I am proud to call them Hero.

We Should Not Only Mourn These Men And Women Who Died, We Should Also Thank God That Such People Lived

This post is part of the Wednesday Hero Blogroll. For more information about Wednesday Hero, or if you would like to post it on your site, you can go here.

eConnek Online

2008-03-18T23:10:00.005-04:00

eConnek is a new business venture that specializes in providing low priced alternatives to popular OEM electrical connectors. The business is dedicated to catering to all connector needs by offering an easy to use 24 hour secure e-commerce website for order placement and an on-site inventory for quick delivery.

If you take a look at the website you can learn Explore website all about their company and how they can help you build your company. They provide products that include metal circular connectors as well as push-pull and plastic pin connectors. eConneck makes is easy to get the replacement parts you need. They have replacement parts of LEMO and odu connector brand parts.

The site is very user friendly. Its laid out in such an organized way that it is easy to navigate and useful for even people like me. You can use their search function to easily and quickly find whatever part you are looking for.

Shopping online is safe and easy on the site. Whole transaction process is made in a secure environment, which will guarantee safety for customers. Customers who create user accounts will be able to store account information such as billing or shipping address so that they will not need to reenter this information again and again. In your account information you will also be able to find order histories and even shipment tracking information. When it comes to shipping, all of the orders are usually processed and shipped within 48 hours thus ensuring timely delivery. Fast delivery has been proven as one of the most important factors when it comes to buying products online, so it is great news that eConnek put emphasis on quick shipping. eConnek.com accepts online orders 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.

Try eConnek for all your OEM compatible and push pull electrical connectors needs and at the same time take advantage of their low prices and save big.

Pictures of Koblenz Germany

2008-03-18T23:00:00.000-04:00

I've posted about my son's wedding in Germany here and here. We have talked about going back in the summer (when its not so COLD!) and seeing more of the places we didn't get a chance to see while we were there in December.

One of the places I told my son I would like to see is Koblenz. He sent me some photos of when he was there last year before he was deployed.

Photos are a poor substitute, but its better than nothing.

Here are just a few of the 77 pictures he sent! lol

click to enlarge

Home Furniture at Great Prices!

2008-03-18T22:46:00.003-04:00

I am a funiture-aholic. I know I am. I'm always looking at furniture. I love to go into furniture stores. Its very strange because I don't have much of a flare for decorating. My mother is an absolute artist when it comes to decorating. She's the type of person that can make something beautiful out of nothing. She can pull together a few things she has here and there and make something gorgeous out of it. Kind of like looking in her refrigerator to see what she has and cooking up a five course meal out of nothing. That gene passed over me.

Still, I like to look and make sad attempts to make my home cozy and fashionable. Ha!

Right now I'm looking at living room furniture and bedroom furniture. My bedroom is a sad sight and I need to spruce it up a little bit. Therefore, I was looking around the web again and came across a great website that is all about furniture. Its called Furniture from Home.

They have some really beautiful king sleigh beds and storage bed at great prices. In addition to the beautiful furniture, they offer articles on the care of your furniture and finding the right furniture to fit your life style as well as your living space.

If don't have to worry about the process of buying furniture online either. They'll walk you through the process so that its as simple as can be for you.

I Feng-Shui'd My Bedroom

2008-03-18T22:33:00.002-04:00

I decided to feng-shui my bedroom. It’s been arranged the same way since I moved into this house and I thought a little change would be nice.So I shoved the bed over to the corner. This isn’t as simple as it sounds.

That involved moving carpets around that were under the bed - that took some serious muscle. Moving the bed, moving the other pieces of furniture, etc.

The first night the room was feng-shui’d I fell out of the bed. I then fell out of the bed when I got up the next morning.

The second night I fell out of the bed and fell out of the bed when I got up the next morning.

The third night I moved everything back the way it was before. My Beloved Curmudgeon insisted on it.

Here’s my question. Why - WHY - would my body still be subconsciously oriented with the room rather than the bed?

I mean, I remember getting up and rolling out of bed and plopping on the floor. In my subconscious I thought the bed was the way it was before. So when I hopped out of the bed I was oriented in such a way that I fell out.

What’s with that?

Top Rap Artists

2008-03-18T22:24:00.003-04:00

There's an exciting new website that is all about top rap artists. You can find out just about anything you want to know about your favorite hip hop artist, from his or her biography to his latest releases to his top sellers. They also have photo galleries of each artist they have in their database. In addition, you can talk with people with a common interest in rap music on the Rap Artists Forum. If you are into Rap then you will definitely want to check out Rap Artists. Registration is free so there is no reason not to take advantage of what they have to offer!